


Pass Me A Drink

by Fishing4Sin



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, M/M, No named OC's, Scary flowers, Selectively Mute Frisk, Slow Burn, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-09
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-05-25 14:51:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 24
Words: 50,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6199312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fishing4Sin/pseuds/Fishing4Sin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You're an active member in monster society thanks to your job at Grillby's. You stand up for their rights, you protect them when in harm, and help them in their time of need. However, you weren't always so open minded and kind to their species. When a certain skeleton returns to his favorite bar you find your past fears dredging back up. Will the past repeat itself or will you learn from your mistakes? </p>
<p>Tags subject to change when I think of more stuff.<br/>Sloww burn, but when the smut starts it'll be hard to stop</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It's not that bad

Bartending isn’t so bad.

You used to think bars were littered with nothing but useless drunkards, rowdy college kids, and people with addictions, but really it’s just a bunch of average people looking to wind down. The people are nice, the tips are good, the stories unbelievable, and the boss? Pretty hot guy who really lights up the room and mixes the most magical drinks around. Really makes your mouth fizzle and pop, if you know what I mean.

“Alright guys, just bark if you need anything,” You grinned, giving the Greater Dog a loving pat before leaving them to their drinks. Tonight was slower than most, although you hadn’t worked at New Grillby’s for long, it was unusual to not be pulled in every direction by curious patrons.

You couldn’t blame them, it wasn’t often that humans willingly hung around their side of town, and really you didn’t mind all the poking and prodding; it usually ended up with a few good tips and a rushed apology.

You leaned against the bar and watched Grillby as he tested out a few new drinks; he rarely spoke but it was clear that he was trying to create new concoctions to attract more human cliental. Sure, the monsters got a kick out of a new buzz, but really the effect hit humans pretty hard. Finding new and exciting ways to get wasted was quickly becoming a blooming alliance between humans and monsters.

Grillby dumped a magenta tinted liquid into the drain, clearly unhappy with the results, and quickly began making another. He shook and flipped a silver canister in one hand, his other hand slowly stirring in magic in another clear drink. Gently, he poured the liquid from the silver canister into the glass, mixing the two together. You watched in awe as the two drinks swirled in different shades before settling on a deep scarlet. Satisfied, he took a small glass of it and his flames rose, covering it completely as if it boil it, and then settled, holding it from the bottom.

You reeled back as Grillby held out the small bubbling red shot glass to you, snapping you out of your thoughts. You hadn’t realized how zoned out you were watching him mix drinks; the dogs had already trotted out, leaving their empty mugs and a sloppy wad of cash.

Now it was just you, Grillz, and the bubbling liquid he was insisting at you. “Uh… You want me to try it?” You gave an uneasy chuckle as his flames flickered eagerly. “Any idea what the effects are?” You asked, gently taking the glass; it felt ice cold despite the bubbling steam climbing out of it. He shrugged and pushed his glasses up. Frowning, you brought the glass to your lips and downed it in a quick gulp. It fizzled all the way down, a mixture of scorching hot and chilling to the bone shocked you to your core causing you to slam the glass down as you clutched your chest.

The bar door swung open with a bang and a deep voice rang out in the empty bar, “Grillby!” You gasped from both surprise and the powerful magic concoction.

Heat engulfed you, sending your face aflame and sweat to trickle down your neck. Time slowed to a crawl as your eyes found the man, no the skeleton, who walked in. He was beaming, actual stars in his darkened eye sockets as he took in the bar and its host, his arms open wide taking in the sight before him. His teeth were stretched wide in the biggest grin you had ever seen in your life, or had even seen on cartoon skeletons. You blinked once, then twice; he wasn’t moving.

You glanced around, taking shaky breathes. Nothing was moving, not even Grillby’s never-ending flicker of flames. Time had literally stopped for you, and you were trying not to freak out. Then the cold hit, as if someone mercilessly dunked you in a bathtub of ice.

You gasped, hitting the floor as time slammed you hard back into reality with every sound you missed hitting you at once. The glass breaking against the counter, barstools toppling over, Grillby’s flames cracking loudly as he yelled your name, the new customer shouting and running over, his sneakers squealing against the freshly polished wood. It was loud and painful all at once.

“Grillby,” You groaned between chattering teeth as you shivered on the floor, clutching your ears. You sighed in relief as you were immediately covered in what felt to be the fluffiest robe in the world.

“Hey kid, I’m gonna pick you up now, okay?” You nodded with the deep voice as you felt yourself being lifted from the wooden floorboards.

He was gentle as he set you on Grillby’s couch in the backroom, and slowly you felt the shivers of ice leave you and eventually you felt your temperature return to normal. You could vaguely hear the skeleton whispering with Grillz, asking what exactly happened and the flame man crackling back a response.

 Reluctantly you sat up, feeling out the large fuzzy blue jacket in front of you before handing it back to the customer with a thankful smile.

Grillby’s face flickered before you, worried and asking if you were okay. You took in a deep breath and grinned, euphoria rushing to your ears.

“Holy shit Grillby, you _literally_ made time freeze!”

Grillby was not amused. He crackled and popped in anger at your beaming face, clearly lecturing you on how you almost scared him to death. The skeleton chuckled, relieved at your sudden cheerfulness.

“I get it,” you sighed as he angrily sizzled, gesturing at you on the couch. “But… I bet if you toned down some of the magic it would make a pretty good drink,” you insisted. He sighed shaking his head and turned away, saying he was going to clean up the broken glass. You turned toward the customer with a sheepish smile and held out your hand and gave him your name.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Sans. Sans the skeleton,” he chuckled, grasping your hand. Your face flushed at the loud sound and immediately recoiled your hand. He waved the small woopie-cushion in his palm and you groaned. “Oh god, you’re _him_ aren’t you?”

Puzzled, he raised his eye, his usual joke dead in his mouth at your words. “Grillby warned me about you,” You sighed, getting up from the couch.

 You glared up at him as you wiped the dust off your black skirt; he wasn’t that much taller, only a few inches, but he was certainly… rounder? Especially for someone who was literally all bones.

He wasn’t exactly as intimidating as the flame man had described, but you were certain this was the guy. “Thanks for the help today Sans.” There was an awkward silence in the room as you headed towards the door. Your nails rapped against the wooden doorframe as you paused, unsure of what to do.

Regardless of how much Grillby had warned you, he did help you without a second thought as to who you were…

“Listen,” you turned back around, knowing you’d regret these next few words.

“I don’t like you.” It was a bold faced lie given that you didn’t even know him, but your boss laughing triumphantly behind you told you it was the right track to take. “However,” you bit your lip at your next sentence, “You helped me. Your next drink is on me.”

You could hear Grillby crackling loudly in the background that you knew nothing and that Sans needed to pay his tab before he got anything for free. Still, the damage was done and you could see it in the smug skeletons eyes that yes, he would indeed take advantage of this somehow, some way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! It's been a looong time since I've posted a Fanfic, so please, let me know how I'm doing! Leave a comment/kudos, share some ideas or reactions, tell me if I goof'd somewhere in the chapter, I'd love to hear from you!
> 
> I'll be posting the next chapter within 24 hours!


	2. Scare For The Ages

Sans had shown up every night since then, usually around ten. You skillfully evaded his pranks from that day forward; avoiding the suspicious additional padding on the barstools, the unusually glistening glasses, the oddly darker shaded floorboards.

You knew it was him; Grillby warned you very sternly on your first day that he would show up eventually. He had told you every trick in San’s horrid prank book that he had witnessed since his first arrival underground. Tricks aside, his puns were even worse and usually skeleton-based. You did your best never to laugh or encourage any knock-knock jokes by keeping a stone-cold face or simply walking away. Grillz said he would only get worse if you laughed, but you felt like it was the exact opposite.

Still, he wasn’t that bad.

Past the puns and wishing to trick you, he was a pretty chill guy. He chatted with Grillby every night, typically including his brother Paps or ‘lil boss’. He seemed to adore his brother, chuckling as he told stories of how he would react to humans or animals, completely innocent to the world. Sometimes he’d catch you listening and curl his bony finger at you to come over but you never did.

You watched as an unlucky bunny spilled ketchup all over their plate from the unscrewed lid; you must have missed it. You tried to double check everything every time you arrived to work.

“I’m seriously going to kill him,” you warned the bartender, who gave a flickering chuckle. With a groan you informed the saddened rabbit you would happily bring them another order and make sure that this wouldn’t happen again. You turned your head as you heard the front door jingle signaling new customers; three human customers. Your annoyance quickly melted into joy, you had yet to serve a human in the whole three months in working here. Discarding the disgusting ketchup sloshed plate, you cheerfully headed over.

“Hey there, welcome to New Grillby’s. What can I get you started with?”

 They were clearly college kids wanting to experiment with new magic and seemed pretty nervous. They looked relieved to see another human. The youngest with spiked brown hair spoke up first, “we’ve uh… Never really had monster drinks. Any tips?”

You leaned against their booth with a sly smile, you were completely in your zone here and it was your job to guide these little chicks into a world of wonder. “Depends on what you’re looking for. Do you want chill, energized, bubbly, or are you looking for something to blow your mind?” Your words lit their eyes up in excitement.

After taking their orders, you returned to find Sans sitting with his usual bottle of ketchup. He always arrived so suddenly; ever since that first night you never actually witnessed him walking through the door again, he just sort of… shows up.

 You scrunched your nose up at him and slid your ticket onto the counter for Grillby to fill. He grinned, as always, as he watched you retrieve the second order of fries for the customer, triple checking their ketchup bottle before leaving them to their food.

“I see you missed one,” he commented, keeping one eye on you as he took a sip from the red bottle. “Shove it, you bag of bones,” you muttered, his grin growing broader at your aggravation.

“You ready to have an actual drink, yet?” You weren’t even sure why you bothered to ask anymore, the answer had been the same for weeks now.

He hummed, tilting the bottle from side to side as he thought it over. “Maybe next time, doll.” You ignored his new pet name. He seemed insistent on not calling you by your name and you gave up long ago on trying to correct him.

Grillby slid three glasses your way; collecting the sparkling blue drinks you huffed and hurried to the table, hoping to stay away from the jokester.

Excitedly you watched them take hesitant sips, the tanned one downing the entire glass in one go as if it were a shot. He giggled at first, along with the others, then immediately shook with laughter. His eyes flickered with the color of the drink, and he sank into the booth in a fit of giggles as the other two began spitting out jokes. You headed back to the counter chuckling at their antics.

“Oh, so you’ll laugh at my drink, but not at me?”

You swung around, frowning at him. You were certain he was just sitting further away, but you shook it off. “Your drink?” You asked, worried for a moment that you may have accidentally poisoned them. “Grillbz always bases his drinks off of some-bone. That one there,” his boney finger flicked at the crowd of boys, still giggling, “That’s the _pun_ -isher.”

Interesting.

You hummed for a moment, you both watching in silence as one of them began to tell his tale about his date at the aquarium. “And-And then,” The youngest let out a snort of laughter, “I told her I would _sea_ her later!” They all howled in laughter and you cringed, glancing down at the skeleton. “This is horrible,” you muttered.

“Hold on, let him _fin_ -ish,” Sans added.

“No…” you groaned, struggling to bite back a smile.

“No need to be so _koi_ , _fish_ is the best part.” You hid your face, rushing to the back room you heard him yell, “Wait, I’ve got a better one! _Gill_ me another chance!”

You walked out into the backstreet, slamming the door behind you before erupting into a fit of giggles. If you didn’t know any better, you would say Sans slipped you the same drink. Your laughter was cut short as a loud clatter echoed in the dark alley and fear quickly grasped at you. It was nothing right? Nothing…

Yet you swore you could see a dark shadow looming behind the can, and the thought sent shivers down your spine. The metal top of the trashcan lid winded down to a thud on the concrete and your hand tightly gripped the doorknob, twisting it hard.

This was it, you were dead. You knew it. You knew first-hand about the anti-monster activists, you knew their rallies, their beliefs blasted on the other, more human, side of town. They found you and you were fucked, you were dead. This was it. You were going to be murdered right here, right when happiness was in your grasp. Right when you started to feel normal, despite the very un-normal circumstances of your life.

“Fuck, fuck, _fuck_ , fuck, **fuck** ,” you hissed, twisting and pulling the handle, then smacking it hard with your fist for dear life. It was useless, it locked from the inside the moment you shut it and the bar was too loud for anyone to hear you.

The dark figure rose up from behind the metal bin and you instinctively stepped backwards, your foot landing on something else in the darkness, slipping, twisting painfully as you fell hard on the ground. The hand reached for you and you twisted further back to avoid it, letting out the loudest, longest, most blood-curdling scream you could muster.

Immediately the backdoor forced open, the light revealing the attacker; Sans. His eyes merely pinpricks, his face contorted to a twisted shock and fear at your reaction, his hand still held out to you, mouth agape. Grillby, out of pure instinct, slammed him against the brick wall of the alleyway, towering over you both. His flames twisted in so many different colors, you weren’t sure if you could catch them all.

They crawled menacingly across the bricks, stretching all the way down, raw heat engulfing the once cool night air. Only in this moment did you truly see him as the powerful magical being that he was. The thought that he had such dangerous magic nearly sent a shiver of fear down your spine.

“It’s okay,” you tried to say, but it came out in a harsh and painful whisper. “Sans just…. He pranked me,” you tried to tell them in your crackled and torn whispers.

It was a lie that shone brighter than his flames. Sans never meant for this, you could see it written on his face the moment the light hit him. He released the skeleton, mumbling an apology between the two of you as the flames flickered out. Nervous laughter bubbled up from your throat; it was dry, cracked, and screamed in pain from the sudden over-use.

You had to show them you were okay. You had to prove it was a joke, that you weren’t scared of Sans.

You didn’t mean it.

You laughed harder, tearing into it, you gut clenching painfully. Tears began to fall from your face as your laughter hiccupped into sobs.

“I—I’m s-s-sorry Sans,” you choked out, trying to wipe away the free-falling tears. You wanted to hold him, tell him it wasn’t him you were so desperately afraid of, but Grillby hushed you, picking you up in his arms. It was so tenderly warm, so unbelievably safe, that it was hard to tear away from. His intense magic flickered in the back of your mind and you pulled away.

You let out a yelp as you fell onto your sprained ankle, tripping into Sans who reflexively caught you. You clutched his jacket tightly, refusing to budge, your shoulders shaking in determination. “I wasn’t afraid of you,” you whispered into him. “Then what were you afraid of?” He asked, in the same hushed tone, but he was stern, unbelieving.

“I was afraid that you were a human.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! Just wanted to say thank you so much for all the support!  
> Really thank you for reading my silly fic, I truly hope you enjoy it.  
> Let me know if there are any mistakes!  
> Next chapter will be posted tomorrow night!


	3. Undying Strength

 

Today marked the sixth day since that incident.

Grillby had become increasingly protective by walking you to your car every night and insisting that you could stay on his couch again if need be. Word of your scare had traveled fast, causing the bar to be over-run with intimidating beasts who watched the door every time it jingled.

The story was only slightly twisted, claiming that both Sans and Grillby protected you from an unseen assailant who vanished into the night, and you eagerly played along, hoping no one would question it.

You glanced up at the clock above the bar; it was almost 11. Today also marked the sixth day since you had seen Sans. You sighed, slumping down onto the bar stool. You had over-reacted that night and now it cost you a friend. Customer. Annoying jokester. Whatever he was to you.

“Feeling a little _bonely_?”

You seized up for a moment, angry that **anyone** else would dare say that pun to you. You swung around, snatching the blue glass from the human male. “You flirt with the waitress and you lose drinking privileges,” you snapped, sliding the drink down the bar towards Grillby who promptly tossed the remains in the sink. Still in a haze, he weakly nodded in understanding before sulking back to his friends.

The rest of the evening had remained fairly steady thanks to the beefy new-comers which kept your mind occupied even as you cleaned up the decent mess at the end of the night. You bid Grillby goodbye at your car and you glanced at your phone for the time. It was only twelve-thirty, that was just enough time for a late night boxing session. Without another thought you started your car, a rush of energy trickling into your system as you slid the car into gear.

 

* * *

 

You watched in awe as your trainer was utterly destroying the piece of gym equipment in the silent building. She was completely focused, unaware of your presence as flits of plastic tore away from under her scaly punches. The tall blue fish-woman was beyond intimidating, her muscles bulging and her scars shining under her sweat, showing the dedication to her training. Her striking red hair flung back as she pulled another punch, the chain straining not to break under its force.

“Undyne!” You greeted, hauling your duffle bag on your shoulder.

She halted her brutal assault on the punching bag and gave a toothy grin, her one good eye shining with excitement, the other hidden under a badass black eye patch.

“Alright, punk! I was starting to think you wouldn’t show!” Apologizing for the lateness, you headed to the locker room for a quick change. You weren’t a fan of the work-out clothes, but Undyne had insisted you wear her same outfit; a skin tight black and orange sports bra and matching shorts that you felt were way too short. Under normal circumstances you would never be caught dead in this get-up outside your bedroom walls; you were basically just in underwear! However, you two were the only ones still in this place this late and she was the most persistent trainer ever. But that was what you loved about her.

You jogged back out there, determined.

“Punk! Tonight we’re doing basic attacks. I want you to attack this sack of crud with all you got! We’re going to break you down, and build you back up!” She gave a look that could kill, which you could only assume meant good-natured things as you got into position.

She watched carefully as you gave the punching bag your all; it was utterly weak compared to the performance she just gave, yet she only shouted words of encouragement and paused you only to adjust your fighting stance. It didn’t take long for the sweat to begin, running down your arms and back, beads dripping from your forehead with every impact. Your hair, although tied back in a ponytail, was desperate to cling to your neck uncomfortably. When your arms started to give you began to strike with your legs, earning a shout of approval at your enthusiasm to continue.

You were zoned in, forcing everything you had left on this stupid bag; you wanted to get better, stronger.

You wanted to feel like you weren’t helpless like the other night, that you could do something, that you could defend yourself if need be.

You reeled back to give another punch when Undyne’s squeal broke you from your concentration. You watched your trainer scoop up a short yellow lizard monster and twirl her into a hug.

“O—Oh, gosh, I didn’t know you were still working!” The monster managed to say through giggles as your trainer planted a kiss on her cheek. You chuckled as you watched the scene, trying to catch your breath.

Your smile faltered as your eyes trailed over to the skeleton who seemed to be checking out your get-up with a raised brow. Your face flushed and before you could say anything Undyne wrapped her arm around you, steering you over to her girlfriend.

You exchanged pleasantries with the yellow lizard, surprised that she took your sweaty hand. You supposed she was probably used to it, Undyne looked like that kind of girl who was in constant training mode, regardless of the scenario.

“Undyne’s told me a lot about you, it’s so nice to finally meet you,” you giggled at her flushed face as she stuttered a reply. It was true; every break Undyne would never shut up about how adorable and incredibly smart her girlfriend was to the point where it was almost sickening. Meeting her now, you could totally see why.

“I—I’ve heard a-a lot about you too!” She finally managed to squeak out, her hands waving in front. Your eyebrows raised at this; maybe you were coming in too late… You didn’t want to keep Undyne all night, it was probably a hassle.

“N—Nothing bad! I promise! Just… That um, w—well,” she trailed off, looking between her girlfriend and the skeleton, unsure if she should continue.

“What Alphys is trying to say is that humans don’t exactly rush in line to train with an angry fish-lady,” the skeleton clarified, earning him a glare from Undyne.

Unfortunately, Sans spoke the truth. When you came seeking a trainer, you weren’t searching for a monster coach; in fact, you had had already set your mind on a very human coach. That was until you saw that same human trainer try to actually fist fight the broad monster out of the gym. She hadn’t even broken a sweat when it was all over with, and the guy ended up with his nose digging hard into the hard ceramic floor. She was absolutely terrifying. She was what you were looking for to help get over any lingering fears.

You shrugged, trying to play it off, “If anything it’s way more badass to have a monster train you to defend yourself.” San’s grin dropped for a moment at your words and you glanced up at Undyne who looked beyond ecstatic. “Don’t say such embarrassing things, you nerd,” she growled, forcing you down into a noogie. You yelped at the sudden affection, trying to break away as you erupted into a fit of giggles.

Sans cleared his non-existent throat, catching Undyne’s attention and she quickly released you. “Oh right, and this lazybones is Sans,” she added, rolling her eyes. He held out his hand as if you’d never met.

“Fool me once, shame on you,” you muttered, smacking away his hand. He twisted his hand around, lacing his bony digits with yours and locking your hand tight with his, the pressure of your two hands forcing the air out of the toy in-between them.

“Fool me twice, shame on me,” he finished, giving you a wink. You felt your face heat up as if you had resumed your training. “Oh my god!” You yelled in frustration, pulling back your hand, thoroughly embarrassed.

“Oooookay!” Undyne literally dragged you away as if he was the plague. “Training’s over! How about I see you tomorrow,” Undyne cheered, worriedly upbeat that Sans might be scaring you off.

You angrily scooped up your duffle bag that had been discarded to the side and you marched back up to him, glaring into his eye sockets. He was thoroughly amused that he had outsmarted and embarrassed you again.

“Your… Your drink is banned!” You had no idea if you could actually ban his drink, but you went with it anyways.

“It’s banned!” You repeated, stomping off. You shoved the door open, ignoring the happy jingle of bells as you turned around, your anger dissolving. He looked uncertain, his smile edging away, like possibly he had taken it too far, or maybe he was regretting not showing up, like he should be.

“It’s forever banned until you come back,” the corners of your lips tugged downwards at him, wishing to say more as you stood in the open doorway. Unsure of what prodded you from the back of your mind, you turned away, disappearing into the pitch black street.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!  
> There will be another chapter tomorrow!


	4. Pun too many

“Hey Grillby, I’m here.”

Your voice rang out in the empty bar as you closed the door behind you. You flicked on the lights. Pushing in a few chairs here and there, you slowly made your way across the room. The door behind the bar squeaked open; seeing nothing, you peered over the countertop. A small child stood in the doorway, grinning at you from under their shaggy brown bangs. Without a word they ran over and leapt towards you, full force, as if this was something they did often. Quickly you dropped your backpack in surprise, catching the kid in a hug, spinning them around causing you both to laugh at the surprise of it all.

“Hey now, what did Tori tell you about hugging strangers.” You recognized Sans voice before he even showed himself. The child pouted, clinging tighter around your neck, sticking their tongue out at the monster. “It’s okay,” you assured him, setting the kid down. Their hands began moving at a quick pace, their sweet smile growing with every sign.

“This is Frisk,” Sans sighed, ruffling their already tousled hair. The child defiantly signed once more, jabbing their finger in your direction. Their frustration began growing as the skeleton seemed reluctant to translate, his cheeks budding a light blue hue. You took a step forward to get a closer look, the two of them glancing at you during their silent debate, the color seemingly gone; it must have been a trick of the light. You felt a little left out as Frisk signed something different, wiggling their eyebrows at the bothered skeleton. Maybe it was time to learn sign language.

“Frisk says they’re glad that Grillby hired such a pretty lady,” he finally translated in a huff. Was it really that difficult for him to say? You snickered as Frisk rolled their eyes but then shrugged as if saying ‘Yeah, that’s about the gist of it.’

“Aw, well it’s nice to meet such a cutie,” you responded, lowering yourself to their height. They gave a startled gasp and gave a quick kiss on your cheek before running back into the back room. You giggled and picked up your back pack, sliding it back on your shoulder. “Babysitting?” You asked. It seemed like an odd job for a skeleton, but who were you to judge? He shrugged nonchalantly, “officially I’m a _skele_ -guard, but yeah, it’s babysitting.”

“Skele…Guard?” You raised a brow, unsure of what he meant. Why would a child need a guard, let alone a monster guard? Then it hit you. Frisk wasn’t just some kid; Frisk was **the** kid. The kid who traveled around the world on the behalf of all monster-kind, pushing equality for all beings. Just a few days ago they were in Washington, speaking with the President on what they had discussed with other nations in their tour around the world.

You let out a soft “oh,” of realization; he wasn’t avoiding you, he was just out of the state watching this precious child. You let out a short laugh, “Wow, I feel stupid. I thought…” You dropped the sentence, shaking your head with laughter. You felt incredibly stupid, but relieved.

“Nah, kid I should’ve said something,” he muttered, rubbing the back of skull. “Oh yeah, when? When you scared me half to death?” You teased, giving his arm a small shove. He let out a small chuckle, “hey now, you really made me jump out of my bones.”

“Well then, maybe you shouldn’t be _skull-king_ behind a trashcan.” You smacked your mouth shut and his breath hitched, grinning at you, those stupidly adorable stars in his eyes. Your eyes darted over to the cracked doorway, you could see Frisk’s sly grin and Grillby’s cold hard stare in the angry flickers of his flame.

“I need to get changed!” You blurted out, pushing past them to run into the bathroom. There was a child’s giggle and a hiss and spark of flames before you heard Sans say his and Frisk’s goodbye’s through the bathroom door. You frowned at your reflection, knowing you messed up. Grillbz was going to kill you with work tonight after that.

 

* * *

 

“Come on, Grillbz, this isn’t any fun,” Sans pouted, gesturing towards you. You yawned, stretching your legs on the barstool, leaning back onto the wall. Your eyes glazed over the bar sight in front of you; it was all so utterly boring. You didn’t feel like forcing a smile on your face and greeting each customer, you weren’t getting paid enough for this. God, you were wasting your life here, you needed to go somewhere else. You watched a college kid pull out a pack of cigarettes and you sauntered over, feeling your boss’s eyes follow your every movement. Now this, this seemed like fun. Usually you turned your nose up at the thought of smoking, but right now you felt it was the very thing to help you unwind and forget your troubles.

“Hey there little buddy, mind if I join you?” You asked the guy. Surprised, he nodded, and you slid into the empty chair, pulling out a cig. You gave a sultry wink in thanks, reaching for his lighter in his front pocket. Before you could light it you watched it catch aflame in a blue hue, twisting into a crumpled mess on the table. You clicked your tongue, glaring at Grillby who signaled you to come back. With a groan you returned, taking a seat by the skeleton who seemed more aggravated by the second. “I cig-gest you don’t do that again,” he grumbled, watching you carefully.

“Ugh, your face,” you spat out, glaring at him, “you are _so_ annoying.” He frowned at you, sighing. You reeled over to your boss, “and **you**. Let a girl have a smoke break!” He crackled a defiant no that you grumbled at.

Time passed as the two watched you sigh and groan about work, about how awful puns were, and how sore you felt till you were spent. You were left feeling groggy and unhappy with your life’s choices and you slid your eyes to the skeleton who was still pouting, possibly about your rant on horrid puns and his dumb grin.

 “I don’t think I like this drink,” You muttered, picking up the swirling orange mesh you had yet to finish. Grillby nodded and handed you a clear glass. You were skeptic enough to know it wasn’t water, yet you complied. This was punishment after all, and how many people could say that their boss paid them to be drunk?

“Oh…” You sipped at the soft blueberry tinted drink, “This doesn’t taste bad,” you smiled, taking another sip. Then another, then more, till eventually the whole glass was empty and you were left with nothing. “Oh—Oh gosh, I’m sorry… I’m… Sorry…” you could feel tears pinpricking up; you never meant to drink it all. What if Sans wanted some? Or Grillby? Oh god, and here you were drinking on the job. You were supposed to be working!

“I’m not… I’m not very good at this,” You whispered, shuddering as you pushed the glass away. You wanted to be alone. This was too noisy, too much, too… everything. You didn’t belong here. You wanted to disappear.

“You wanna know the trick to this drink?” Sans whispered. You slowly nodded, unsure of what was going on. He took your hand and you began apologizing profusely to Grillby who seemed unfazed, if not encouraging, making you only feel worse as Sans dragged you into the back room. You did as he instructed, laying back onto the couch, closing your eyes.

You felt stupid, this whole thing felt stupid, like you were being tricked.

“Now be perfectly still,” he whispered. And you were. Soon you could feel the world shifting, pulling and pushing gently. “Now, open.” His breath against your earlobe sent a shiver down your spine that you gulped down. Slowly, you opened your eyes, your breath hitching at the sudden change of scenery. The room around you was gone, replaced with a solar system of stars and beautiful cosmos.

You let out a sigh of relief at the beauty of this new magical space, completely at ease. You weren’t sure how long you spent star-gazing on the couch, but you could feel the tug of your subconscious, pulling at you to take a break from this moment. You obliged, closing your eyes once more with a smile, whispering thanks to the short skeleton who watched from afar.

 

“I think you found her new favorite,” Sans chuckled, stirring you from your slumber. “Felt bad,” the flame man sheepishly replied. You shuffled under the weight of the jacket, wrapping it tighter around you with a content sigh. You didn’t want to be awake, but you knew you’d have to give up this warmth yet again. “Don’t worry,” Sans assured Grillby’s flickers, “I’ve been keeping an eye-socket out for the kid.” Oh, he was talking about Frisk. You turned again, digging your face deeper into the cushions. Everything was too soft, too warm to be woken up so soon. You hated leaving these moments and being dragged back into reality.

You listened as the two headed back to the front of the bar, the silence blanketing you. You couldn’t stay here, you had to go home, where you belonged.

Reluctantly you sat up, leaving the blue jacket in a heap on the couch. You grabbed your bag off Grillby’s kitchen table and you scrambled for your phone, it was three in the morning; you couldn’t face them right now. Grillby would just end up guilt tripping you into staying, and you couldn’t handle it.

You slipped out the back door and headed down the alleyway, the cell phone lighting up the path till you reached back around towards your car. It was a silver beat up hunk of junk, but it was your hunk of junk. It was your baby since high-school, and you were probably it’s fourth owner.

Shivering in the night air as you struggled to find your keys, it was getting colder as the days passed and you were really missing that stupid jacket now. You hopped inside, gently shutting the door. Shivering, you started to car, praying the heat kicked on soon.

“Are you trying to kill me?”

The voice startling, causing you to jump high enough in the seat to bang your head against the top. You wheezed at the sudden full stop your heart had come to and whimpered at the new bump on your head. “I will now,” You growled, clutching your chest. He snickered, keeping one eye open, watching you from the passenger’s seat where he seemingly poof’d into.

“What do you want?”

He shrugged, sinking into the seat, “Just making sure you get home safe. Grillby’s orders.” You rolled your eyes muttering and clicked your seatbelt. You pulled out of the parking lot in silence, watching Sans tap away at his phone looking quiet bored with this task. How had he even gotten in here? How did he know what your car looked like? You assumed it was just a monster thing he could do, albeit a bit creepy.

After five minutes of silence you couldn’t take it anymore.

“Why were you in the alley?”

He sighed in response, twirling his phone in his palm. “I… I wanted to see if you were laughing,” he muttered.

“Really?” You asked, unbelieving. The car slowed to a stop at the red light and you glanced over; he had pulled his hood up over his head, making it nearly impossible to see his face in the dark. He was probably cold, hell, you knew you were.

“You don’t exactly laugh at my jokes, you know.”

You nervously tapped your fingers on the steering wheel. That was never true, you always laughed, just… not in front of him. The light turned and you gave the vehicle a little push of gas, snapping you out of your thoughts.

“Knock, knock.”

You always walked away at knock-knock jokes, but now you were trapped. You could either sit in deafening silence or give in. You turned a corner; you were close to your apartment. You could sit this one out. You shivered, giving up on the heater and turning it off so the cold air didn’t hit your face anymore.

“Who’s there?”

“Police.”

Worried, you checked your review mirror. No actual police, so thank god. “Police who?” You continued, slowing to a stop as you approached the apartment.

“Police hurry, I’m freezing in here.”

A harsh laugh escaped your lips and his cold hands wrapped around your wrist so you couldn’t cover your face. “Nooo,” you groaned, giggling as he held tight, his glee at your reaction only causing you to laugh harder. “Now why would you wanna cover up such _an_ _ice_ smile,” he continued as you shivered into a giggle.

“You can’t lie to me now, I can see you’re _shivering_ in anticipation,” he wiggled his eyes at you and you managed to break free, you rolled your eyes once more as you escaped the car. The joyous moment dulled as you approached the shoddy apartment; it wasn’t the best place. There were zero street lights, so luckily he couldn’t see most of the dingy surrounding apartments and trash that tended to litter the area. The only trouble was getting the door unlocked; the lock had a habit of sticking, making it difficult to get in and out of. Awkwardly you jiggled the handle for about five minutes till it finally broke free and you trekked inside.

You flicked on the light switch and turned to Sans who was rolling on his heels at your doorway.

“Did… You want to come in?”

Truthfully, you hoped he’d turn around and poof away; your place was… empty. The only thing you had to your name was a coffee maker and an air mattress. He hesitated, glancing at your eyes and then the rest of you, before answering, as if reading your body language.

“I should head back, let Grillbz know you’re alright,” it was a weak excuse but you felt he knew you didn’t really want him inside this empty shell of a home. “Are you going to be okay? It’s… kind of late,” you eyed the black void behind him. This wasn’t that great of a side of town, and he was a monster…

“Yeah, kid, don’t worry, I know a shortcut,” he stuffed his hands in his pockets, “But… uh, if you’re _snow_ worried, we could trade _numb_ -ers?” Nervously he pulled out his phone, giving it a wave as if it would entice you. You giggled at his attempt. “C’mon kid, throw me a bone here.” Eventually you nodded, pulling out your phone to trade digits. 

“Okay… Cool…” He nodded, his eyes seemingly brighter after your exchange.

“Cool,” you replied, just as giddy.

He gave a small wave of goodbye and he stepped back, the darkness engulfing him.

“Wait,” you called out, “Sans?”

“Yeah?” It was so dark you could barely make out the shimmer of his eyes. 

“Thank you for tonight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gahhh I wasn't able to post yesterday, so here it is!  
> I'm hoping to post another chapter today to make up for it, but no promises!  
> Hope you enjoy!


	5. Calm Before The Storm

 

You rolled over, groaning painfully as your rolled onto the cold carpet of your apartment, the air mattress squeaking and groaning with you. You hadn’t slept that great given the lack of heat in your apartment. Sighing you stretched, greeting the sunlight stemming into your room through the slightly twisted, yellowed blinds. You shivered and tossed on your only gray sweater; it was ragged and have several torn holes and read ‘Ruff ‘N Tuff’. Your stomach growled, demanding attention, forcing your legs to move towards the kitchen, passing the bare box of a living room. You hissed when your feet pressed against the cold tile, sending another shiver up into your shoulders. The need for slippers was real.

 After turning the coffee pot on you cracked a few eggs, starting the works of cheesy scrambled eggs. You wished you could say your morning was quiet, but that was never the case. You could hear the upstairs neighbors stomping around, a child screaming two doors down, and a dog freaking out over everything. But that was okay, you were alone now, and silence tended to be louder than anything your neighbors could come up with.

Setting your breakfast on a paper plate you scrubbed your only pan clean and poured yourself a cup of coffee. You took a seat on the other side of the kitchen floor, leaning your back against the wall. Setting your cup on an un-chipped floor tile, you ate your eggs in silence. You decided you could at least afford a chair with your next paycheck. Maybe. A chair could wait, right now you needed to figure out what you were going to eat on your day off.

You didn’t crawl up from the floor till you emptied your cup. After rinsing the mug, you pulled on a pair of torn black jeans and slipped on your only other pair of footwear; flip-flops. You didn’t want to ruin your sleek black work shoes Grillby had so graciously given to you on your first day, they were too special to be worn for anything else. Instead, you decided you would bare through the minor cold to the grocery store. Making sure to grab your phone from the charger, you headed out with only minor difficulty locking your front door.

 

The super market was always a difficult time for you. Everything looked so great, the bakery smelled wonderful and the prices were sky high compared to your food budget. Most of the time you couldn’t afford much past ramen noodles and tuna, if it wasn’t for Grillby making you dinner when you worked you probably wouldn’t have made it. Grabbing the bare essentials, you headed to the express check-out. You were surprised to find a rather tall goat-like monster humbly setting down a large array of items, oblivious to the ten-limit restrictions.

Despite the dreary cold weather, she wore a brightly cheery yellow sun-dress that ended modestly at her knees, the color complimenting her white fur beautifully. You paused, glancing down the other check-out aisles taking notice that the other cashiers ‘happened’ to vanish and that this was the only register open with a human body. The lady wasn’t oblivious to the sign; it was just her only option.

You could see the female cashier getting visibly frustrated at every new item the blissful monster placed on the conveyor belt and you shot her a glare hoping she would catch on. She clicked her tongue at you but kept silent, ringing up the items and messily tossing them in the plastic bags. “That’ll be 167.49,” she snipped at the end of her groceries.

“Oh dear…” The goat woman shuffled through her wallet with a frown, her claws rolling across the few bills she did have. “Okay, that’s okay,” she reassured the cashier, trying to pull out one of her plastic cards. You bit your bottom lip as you watched the long struggle of the poor monster pulling out the tiny card, unaware of the line forming behind you.

“Oh come on,” a woman hissed from behind. You rolled your eyes, turning your head towards the blonde, noticing it was your neighbor. “Oh shut up. If anything you should know the struggle with those nails of yours,” you snapped. She flushed, glancing at her ridiculously long neon-pink nails, but hushed.

“Miss, would you like me to help you?” You asked the poor woman who still hadn’t gotten it. Her face immediately brightened at your offer, “if it’s not too much trouble, child.” Your heart warmed at her words as you easily retrieved the plastic, slid the card, and promptly returned it. “My child usually helps… Ah, but I wanted to surprise them,” she smiled brightly and you couldn’t help but return it.

To your surprise she whispered her PIN number in your ear and you complied, finishing the transaction. Her easily passing along such vital information to her bank card worried you; if it was someone else who helped, they could have run off on a spending spree. You watched as she struggled to gather her bags, there had to be about twenty of them.

“Want… some more help?” You offered with a laugh. Before she could give an answer you handed your basket to the cashier telling her you’d be back and began picking up the bags. She tried to assure you that she would be fine, but you wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Oh dear, but I don’t have the car,” she sighed as you both headed out the front door. You frowned as she led you to the bus stop; what exactly did you get yourself into? The woman hurriedly began texting on her large phone and you watched as she became increasingly distraught at the errors she was making.

“Can… I help?” You offered again; you could feel this becoming a trend with this woman. She excitedly nodded as you helped send a message to her friend Papyrus who, from their conversation, may have accidently locked their caps lock on. Were all monsters horrid with technology?

“Papyrus, could you please help me with groceries, love, Toriel,” you repeated, as she enthusiastically nodded along. You bit back a laugh; she was utterly adorable and this was becoming a problem. “I don’t mind helping you home, Miss Toriel,” you found the words leaving your mouth before you could fully process them.

God, it was like she had some sort of spell on you, as if you were compelled to help her on her journey through modern human life. She took a good look at you from your messy head to your bare toes. Something told you she wasn’t so concerned with who you were, and instead was more into _how_ you were. You could see the motherly concern shimmering behind her wide brown eyes, your stomach sinking. It had been a long time since you’d last seen such a look.

“Yes! I would love your help!” She decided, coincidentally as the bus arrived, solidifying your decision. Once on, she decided it was okay to not send the message, and tucked the phone away in her small purple purse. The ride was short, but cheerful. You happily gave her your name, apologizing for not telling her sooner. She didn’t mind, she gave a soft smile and a hushed, “I’m truly happy you wished to help.”

Toriel’s kind demeanor seemed to keep the other passengers from sending such dirty looks, but still, you were happy once it was just the two of you again. It was a quick block down from the stop when you arrived at a lovely brick house.

If her grocery bill was any indication, the beautifully large crafted home you stood in front of screamed that she was clearly a monster of wealth. The lawn was beautifully well-kept, guarded by a white picket fence with few bushes that looked like they were trimmed almost weekly, the flowers, ranging in various bright colors, surrounded the brick home. It looked like a perfect picture from a Home and Garden Magazine.

The door was quite large, almost a good 7ft tall and a few more inches added in width; much larger than you or Toriel. The inside of the house breathed ‘home’ to you and smelled of freshly baked muffins. There was a grand living room, complete with a large five-seated couch and two very comfy looking cushioned chairs. The TV alone looked like it was worth a fortune, but her book collection along the walls was astoundingly breath taking.

Her kitchen was spotless and filled with up-to-date appliances, the counter tops a white marble against the black cupboards. Your eyes wandered down another room, the door wide open showing her dining room, which looked more like a dining hall with its many chairs. And this was only the first floor.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes, sorry!” You shook away your awe and flashed a smile as you helped with the groceries. Setting the plastic bags on the marble countertop you fished out her items for her to put away. She had bought quite a lot; fruits, fresh vegetables, flour, brown sugar, several boxes of tea, soaps, pencils… it was all random things.

“Is… This your usual shopping trip?” You asked, handing her several boxes of noodles and a loofa. She gave a hearty laugh, gently taking the pasta as if she could snap it in two, “Not at all. I have a few extra guests staying with me while they find their new home.” You couldn’t help but think at how awfully kind this monster was, helping others in this tough time. Although it’s been three years since they’ve emerged from the underground, many monsters were still discriminated against, and many of the Monster Housing Districts were rushed and shoddily built to accommodate the influx of citizens to the city.

Your hand slipped in your daze, the red spaghetti sauce falling from your grasp as Toriel reached. She snatched it with such quick reflex it was almost as if she had anticipated it, however her grip was too tight in her surprise, shattering the glass bottle between her fingers. You screamed in horror, ignoring the pattering of broken glass at your feet and the sauce splattering over your clothes.

“Toriel! Oh my god, I—Are you okay?” You struggled, trying to take her hand. You babbled apologies trying to see if she was bleeding through the sauce, but she simply shushed you, taking her clean hand and gently caressing the top of her head in a soothing manner.

“It’s okay, Child. I’m perfectly fine,” She rinsed her hand of the broken glass and sauce, wiggling her furred hand as proof. You let out a sigh of relief, then tried to calm your nerves; your heart still pounding in your chest at the shock. “It takes a lot more than simple glass to harm me,” she soothed, giving one last pat.

You gave a sharp inhale as she gently lifted you up a good inch from the floor by your shoulders as if your weight was nothing to her. Nervously you shook in her arms as she carried you into the living room.

“Are you okay?”

“Yep!” You rushed out, trying to smile. Yeah, nothing like being easily lifted like a paper bag by someone who you thought was helpless. You had to remind yourself that she was a monster; their strength typically far outweighed your own. You took a deep breath to steady yourself before you freaked out.

She was just a mom. She was nothing to be afraid of, she couldn’t even send a text.

You exhaled, giving her a true smile this time.

Seeing you unharmed, her brow furrowed at your ruined clothes. “Oh dear, why don’t you take a bath upstairs while I wash your clothes?” You weren’t sure if Ruff ‘N Tuff would make it through another wash but you nodded along anyways. She led you upstairs, passing two doors before reaching the large bathroom. It was just a perfect and clean as the rest of the house with a grand basin bathtub that you could easily submerge yourself in.

She hummed, starting up the bath as you undressed, trying to keep the sloppy sauce from spilling onto the white and blue tiles. When she left you stood for a moment in the wide mirror at the sink. You had certainly seen better days; you had bags under your eyes that looked as dark as your street after 8pm, your hair a frizzled mess, and your skin almost looked sickly.

Everything about you screamed unhealthy and possibly homeless.

You pulled away from the mirror; you had to cut that out. You were hands down your own worst enemy when it came to judging yourself, and it was a habit that needed to quit. You dipped into the bubble bath Toriel had prepared, sighing at its warmth as the scent of lavender filled you with relief. God, you could barely remember the last time you had been in an actual bath. Showers were always a quick five minutes at your apartment due to the small water heater, and even before then it was….

Shaking your head, you stretched out, allowing yourself to be completely at ease, the bubbles swirling above the water at your movements. You didn’t want to think about the past. They were gone, it was over, and your only purpose now was to look forward and work your hardest, even if it killed you.

But… Right now…. You could rest. You could enjoy this small oddity of being in a stranger’s home, truly relaxing for the first time since then. And to think, if you had continued down that path, scared, fearful, blindly following the herd of hate, you would have never made it to this blissful moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, FYI tags have been slightly updated for upcoming chapters. 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading!!


	6. The Lies You Tell

 

You gasped for air, pushing your body upright. The water sloshed around you, threatening to spill over, the bubbles completely faded away. You straight up fell asleep. You relaxed so damn hard you almost didn’t wake back up.

Not only that, you thought you heard a cough, maybe a snicker?

You turned towards the door; the only change in scenery was a single potted yellow flower and a fluffy pink robe folded neatly on the counter space. Deciding you clearly relaxed enough, you climbed out and dried yourself on a white towel. You slipped on the pink robe, eyeing the flower.

Something about it seemed… off. Why would Toriel add a flower facing the wall? You almost pulled it around so it could brighten more than just the plain wall, but you let it be. Surely there was a reason, whether you saw it or not. You had plenty of other things to do other than worry about potted plants.

You were greeted with soft piano keys playing harmoniously as you made your way downstairs. You could smell something baking… Something with cinnamon? Maybe butterscotch. You couldn’t quite tell, but it was absolutely divine.

“Miss Toriel?” You called, rounding the corner into the kitchen, finding the lovely monster holding a tea-kettle that looked awfully fragile in her paws. “Oh! You’re back just in time for tea, would you like some?” She gave a tender smile at your nod and she poured you a cup that you graciously accepted.

“Whatever you’re making smells delicious. Is it the surprise?”

She gave a small chuckle, watching with warm eyes as you took a small sip too soon. “Hmmm, yes but not for who you think it is,” she replied. Before you could ask what she meant the oven timer went off signaling the food was ready.

“Oh dear, why don’t you wait for me in the living room? I cook with magic and it can get quite heated in here.”

You tried to protest; you’d been around Grillby’s magic flames in the back kitchen for months now, but she wasn’t having it, gently guiding you down onto the couch with your cup. If this is how she was with strangers, you couldn’t only imagine how protective she was with her own child; the thought made you giggle.

“I’m sorry for keeping you for so long,” she called from the kitchen, the sweet smell wafted in causing your mouth to water. You sipped on the tea, hoping it would sate your taste buds. It did not, but the tea was still welcome. “I’m sure your parents must be worried.”

You sunk deep into the couch, biting back a scoff and taking another long sip, the warm tea soothing you. “It’s okay, I live alone.” There was a pause of silence in the conversation, you could hear her shuffling and the soft close of the oven. “But you’re so young,” she murmured. You weren’t sure how to reply, and you didn’t really want to go into detail.

“Being alone is nice,” You downed the rest of the tea in your lie and slumped back into the couch. “I have a space to myself, and I control my own life now.” A bare space and a lack of funds that controlled your every move in life. Still, being apart from them was better; that was the honest truth.

Toriel’s soft hand landed atop your head, and your body went frigid. For a moment, a split second, fear creeped down to your toes; fear that she could see right through your lies. Gently, she began to pet your head and the fear passed, replaced with a sense of peace. It was an oddly calming, almost… dare you say it, magical effect that sent you falling back into slumber.

 

You weren’t sure what made you snap your eyes open, but staring up close and personal with what looked to be a grinning Grim Reaper was almost traumatizing. With a screech you scrambled off the couch, tripping hard onto the carpeted floor, the skeleton dashing away. A small child in an oversized green sweater hurriedly ran to your side, gently cupping your face in their hands and turning you towards them.

Your breathing slowed, taking in Frisks calm demeanor. This was Toriel’s house. Toriel was a monster, so naturally there were other monsters. And apparently their ambassador. Oh god, that was just a monster, just like Sans. Twice now you’ve screamed at a skeleton. Twice!

Frisk took your hand in theirs, leading you upstairs. “Hey now, Pap’s, I’m sure she didn’t mean it.” You gut twisted at Sans words. This must’ve been the brother he spoke fondly of nearly every night. Through the creak in the doorway you could see Pap’s in a bright orange sweater, hunched over on his bed, his gloved hands in his face with Sans hand on his broad shoulders. You pushed your way in, breaking away from Frisk’s hand. “Oh Pap’s, I’m so sorry,” You rushed, kneeling in front of him, taking one of his hands.

“You know my name?” It was a yelled whisper if you had ever heard one, and you gave a broad smile as you nodded, your chest clenching at his sad expression, tears cupping the corners of his eye sockets. “Of course! San’s brags about you all the time! I just didn’t expect to run into someone so amazing today!” There was a brief silence as the skeleton processed your words; for a moment your heart dropped, thinking he wasn’t buying it.

Childlike joy overtook him, those beautiful stars springing forth in his dark eyes, orange tint springing forth to his bony cheeks as he pulled you into a hug that lifted you off the floor and almost above Sans.

“Of course human!! How silly of me! I, The Great Papyrus, understand your plight!” You winced at the proximity of his mouth to your ear, but still grinned at his change of attitude.

He gently returned you to the floor in time for Toriel to call for his and Frisk’s help. They scampered back down the stairs, leaving you with the shorter brother. His usual blue jacket and black shorts replaced with a bright blue sweater and sweats. What were they, a sweater gang today?

“Thanks. Pap’s… needed that today, even if you didn’t mean it.”

“I meant it,” you shot back immediately. His eyes narrowed and he shook his head in annoyance that you easily matched. “Listen, sweetheart, I get that Pap’s and I are not exactly the friendliest looking monsters. You don’t have to lie to me.” His disbelief, although reasonable, stung, but you quickly rounded on him, poking his chest roughly with your finger.

“I’m not lying! You. Do not. Scare me.”

Not anymore.

“You need to stop lying, sweetheart.”

The pinprick lights of his eyes slowly guided from your bare toes all the way up to your still damp hair, reminding you that you were still in nothing but a bath robe. You weren’t sure what it was, but his gaze suddenly made you increasingly self-conscious, as if he could see past the pink fluff, past the layers, past what humans could perceive in just simple body language.

You weren’t sure when he had gotten so close, his eyes fixated on your chest, his hand reaching forward as emotions and past events that held no bearing on this moment in time seemed to flicker through your eyes in a blur.

Physical and emotional pain, anger, gut wrenching fear, abandonment… There was a glimmer of courage, yet it was so thoroughly squashed and tossed into an abyss of loneliness.

You pushed away, harder than intended, sending him backwards against a desk that you hadn’t paid attention to, the emotions growing silence at your separation.

“What was that?!”

You came out more scared and upset than you intended, edging yourself to the open door. His eye sockets dimmed, leaving nothing but a black void. His face jerked upwards at you, so void of emotion and life that it shook fear into your soul; his name left your lips in a whisper as you stumbled out of the room. It was wrong to think he didn’t scare you.

You were still very much afraid of monsters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little shorter than I wanted, but the next chapter is a big one!  
> Updates may be every other day this week due to me getting sick x.x
> 
> Still, hope you enjoy it! Thank you for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY  
> Super long chapter, enjoy!!

 The empty glass clunked against the beaten wood of the bar, the gruff bartender filling for the fourth time when you gave a terse nod in his direction. You took a deep gulp of strawberry mixed drink. He wasn’t a great bartender, the bitter taste of cheap alcohol outweighed the sweet syrup but that didn’t matter; tonight you just wanted to forget. Tonight, your dinner was stale pretzels and as many free drinks you could get.

The moments after Sans were such a blur now. You had never gotten dressed so quickly in your life. Poor Toriel… Her heartbroken face as you dipped out of her home without a word; without even a thanks at her hospitality. Your hands slid to where the holes in your pants used to be… She had patched them in your sleep with red checkered fabric. You downed the rest of the drink, slamming it harder than intended. You whispered an apology to the bartender, but he paid it no mind, filling your drink once more.

Your eyes slid to the blonde who hopped onto the bar seat at your right; it was your neighbor from earlier this morning, her pink lip gloss shining under the dim lighting as she gave a tight smile. The bartender slid her a drink before she could even order. She must be a regular.

 “Nothing like Ladies Night,” she chuckled; it was devoid of humor and was as bitter as you felt. She wasn’t here for a good time either, she was also drinking for a reason. The two of you drank your troubles away in silence, staring blankly ahead at either the muted TV mounted along the wall or the wall of liquor bottles that begged to be purchased.

It was a calm silence, one that was appreciated. Neither of you wished to share your inner turmoil, yet the fact that there was another person there was welcoming. Time ticked on, passing by quicker than you realized, your mind was sloshed by your sixth drink yet you were poured another. Your felt your purse vibrate on the counter, and you groaned, praying it wasn’t Grillby. He liked to check up on you.

You couldn’t face him like this, he’d only worry.

“Seriously, get her water, you fuck head,” the blonde snapped, snatching the drink away. You didn’t argue; you were too preoccupied trying to fish out your buzzing phone from your purse. It was Sans calling. You let it go to voicemail, the blonde watching as you flipped through messages you had missed earlier in the day.

 

10:28

 Numbskull: *knock knock

 

12:14

 Numbskull: hey

 

1:27

 Numbskull: okay okay no jokes

 

3:16

Numbskull: hey is everything okay?

 

At 3:25 he had sent a picture of you snoozing away on Toriels couch with the caption “R u Furreal”. You couldn’t help but snort at how stupid it all was, yet the humor vanished as you pictured his empty skull jerking upright, the fear returning.

“It’s… not as creepy as it looks,” you slurred, probably not at all reassuring to the blonde who seemed horrified for your well-being. Despite her protests you claimed your last, mostly vodka glass, and downed it, the world sloshing in your view as you abruptly stood. You pulled the ratty sweater over your head revealing your white spaghetti strapped shirt underneath. It did nothing to hide your black bra but you were too drunk to care. Ignoring the hoots and hollers of the fellow guys in the bar you tied the sweater around your hips.

“I’m… Sorry ‘bout this morning,” you told her, taking your purse. She didn’t reply, but you hadn’t expected her to.

You stumbled out of the bar less gracefully than you wanted, yet you didn’t mind. Your apartment was only a block away; you could make it despite how wasted you were. There were whistles and cat calls that you ignored as you made your way across the street; losers who had followed you from the bar.

Great.

You turned a sharp corner, clutching your purse tighter as you heard their footsteps gain traction in an attempt to follow. Ducking into a dark alleyway, you listened as they split up in pursuit. Once the coast was clear you tip toed your way out, warily eyeing both directions.

A hand violently slammed across your mouth, their nails digging harsh into your cheek, another hand gripping your throat as you were yanked back into the alley. You kicked to no avail, each leg being easily caught as if you were a child. Your hands painfully twisted and restrained behind your back, your mouth desperately trying to dig your canines into the palm blocking your voice from being anything more than a muffled noise.

The back of your head was slammed hard against the brick wall, causing black spots in your vision as the grip on your throat tightened painfully, intending to choke you out. Your sweater was ripped away to shreds, your shirt yanked hard enough to snap the straps. You became hysterical as fingers pried at your jeans, fiercely yanking the fabric down in desperation, their nails tearing harshly into your skin. You fought to keep conscious, kicking and squirming; trying your hardest to scream, to make any noise, to have someone, anyone save you.

 Orange flashed before your eyes, knocking two of the assailants away. The one clamped down on your throat froze up in blue before being thrown backwards into the opposing wall, his head repeatedly bashed against it till his screaming stopped. Only then was he tossed like a rag doll down the alleyway next to the others who were seemingly knocked out.

Through your tears you could make out your saviors; the tall lanky Papyrus, who immediately scooped you into his arms, and at his side his shorter, deadlier brother. If you thought his face was terrifying earlier, it did no justice to the unbridled rage he shook with now. Behind them stood your neighbor, her phone to her ear, shaking as she sputtered your location on the phone.

You didn’t wait around for the police to show up. Blondie ran off as Sans instructed and the next thing you knew you were back in your apartment. You trembled in Papyrus’s arms, violently shoving your way out as bile burned at the back of your throat. You didn’t make it three feet before throwing up an entire nights worth of beverages all over your kitchen floor. Smooth fingers pulled back your hair, holding it during the ordeal, an open palm gently rubbing your back.

 A choked sob escaped your lips at the end of it, your stomach finally settling. You pushed yourself up from the mess, clenching back tears as you numbly headed to the bathroom. The skeleton brothers banged about loudly in the kitchen as you brushed your teeth. Papyrus whisper yelling from the kitchen, “Where is all her things? Was she robbed?”

You sighed, stuffing the toothbrush back, trying not to listen as Sans hushed his brother. You took in your shaken and mauled appearance in the dirty mirror; the red nail marks on your cheeks, your neck starting to change into a yellowed bruise where the man grabbed you… The scrapes down your chest, dried blood drips on your white shirt. Your fingertips traced your hips; you could feel where they dug so roughly into the skin, breaking it.

You fought back tears once more, another wave of nausea rolling over, forcing you to kneel over the toilet. You shook violently but thankfully it never came.

                “Hey…”

Your head tilted at his voice, not quite wanting to meet his eyes. He took your silence as an affirmation to continue, his voice low, trying to be gentle and calm for you. “I don’t think it’s safe here. Why don’t you come back with us?”

You didn’t argue, shaking as you gave a tight nod. It took Paps all of five seconds to gather what little clothes you had in your duffle bag. “We’re gonna take a short cut. Pap’s is gonna hold you, is that okay?” You nodded once more and the lanky skeleton hoisted you up. By now you had the gist that Sans could basically teleport, and with how much vomiting you’d been doing tonight you’d rather not see it. With your arms wrapped around Papyrus’s neck you buried your face into his chest, breathing in what smelled like oregano.

Within moments it was over and you were set down in Toriel’s living room.

The poor woman had been reading one of her many books when you popped in. Dropping the paperback at the sight of you, she swore, jumping upright and immediately rushing to your aid.

 “My child,” she whispered, repeatedly, her soft fingers brushing against your scratches and bruises. Wherever she touched grew warm; the skin tingling, some areas longer than others. She whispered and soothed, bringing you into a hug, her swell of affection caused you to hiccup into more tears. With you now physically and emotionally drained from the attack, you pulled away, your sobs dying to a sniffle.

“Let’s get you to bed, dear. You can sleep wherever you want.”

Still, you saw her glance towards Sans who seemed to be pointedly avoiding her gaze; she wanted to know what happened.

You turned towards Papyrus, drying your eyes with a small, but tired, smile. You felt especially affectionate towards the taller skeleton who had carried you throughout the whole ordeal. “Is it okay if I stay with you?” You croaked out. His eyes brightened, chest swelling with pride that you trusted him after everything.

He led you to the bedroom where you had met hours ago, yet after everything that had just happened it almost felt like a lifetime. You never noticed how child-like the room was; the large red race-car bed, the super hero posters, the action figures cluttering the desk…

“Is this your room?” You asked, your eyes trailing across the book case. A particularly worn children’s book stood out to you; it looked as if it had been read a hundred times, the name worn off the binding due to its overuse.

“Yes!!” His sudden loudness startled you, your body giving a slight jump in surprise.

“Ah, er, yes.” He coughed, returning to his yelled whisper, “I—I will go get you some sleeping clothes.”

He rushed out, leaving you to the room. You didn’t even have time to continue exploring, his loud footsteps barging right back in, his arms outstretched, holding neatly folded clothes. You gave a weak smile, taking the bundle as he excused himself once more to give you privacy.

The black jaw string shorts were baggy on you, despite how much you tightened it still sagged at your hips, showing the red marks from your attackers. You ignored it, pulling on the gray t-shirt.

You snorted, reading the words ‘Bone-Tired’. Obviously a Sans shirt.

“Hey Paps, I’m ready,” you called, tossing your ragged clothes in a corner. A harsh giggle escaped your lips when he walked in. Pap’s had also decided to change into ‘sleeping clothes’. A blue night cap adorned his skull, topping off his starry baby blue pajama set. He looked absolutely adorable.

 “Wonderful! Let us commence the sleep over!” His voice was booming as he got overly excited, but you were starting to get used to it. Overjoyed, he jumped into the racecar bed, snuggling himself in between the sheets, patting the empty space next to him. You hadn’t really expected to sleep with him; his cheery grin slipping as you awkwardly stood in the middle of the room.

You rolled your eyes with a smile as you crawled in next to him. There was nothing to worry about, he was basically a cinnamon roll. Despite your naps throughout the day, exhaustion rolled over as your head sunk into the pillow. The bed was a little stiff, but it was better than anything you had. He gave you plenty of room being wary of your personal space, watching as your eyes flickered over to him.

“Do you like stories?”

You raised your brow at his full whisper and whispered back a yes. He gave a ‘Nye’d’ laugh causing you to giggle back. He delved into his story of how he met his first human; Frisk. He went into full detail of his thought process in re-calibrating his puzzles, and how he even created new ones to suit the small child. Your eyelids drooped as he went on, mentioning the snowmen he and his brother made in the spare time waiting for the cute kid. Soon his words drifted, becoming faint in your head as you found yourself being lulled to sleep by his stories.

You wished you could’ve slept the night away and forgotten everything, but that was hardly the case. You dreamt of the hands, grasping and pulling, clawing their way towards you. Each time you shuddered and turned, each time you saw an eye, bright and glowing in the darkness of your mind, blue and yellow swirling in its iris.

You tossed and turned restlessly from the nightmares; at one point you were certain you kicked poor Papyrus, but if he felt it he didn’t show.

It wasn’t till you shook yourself out of the bed that you accepted you weren’t going to sleep. You curled up on the floor, your back pressed against the bed as you hugged your knees closer to your chest.

“Knock, knock.”

His voice sent a shudder through you, but it wasn’t as surprising as you thought. You could vaguely remember seeing him during your tosses.

“Who’s there?” Your whisper echoed in the shadowed room. It wasn’t terribly dark, light was starting to pick up in the window blinds and you could easily make out his figure slumped over in the desk chair.

“Iowa.”

“Iowa who?”

“Iowa big apology.”

You sniffled and rolled your eyes out of habit. “No, you don’t,” you sighed, stretching your legs out. He didn’t reply, letting the conversation die as you both listened to Papyrus’s small snores. Sunlight creeped in, the orange hue of the rising sun peeking in, the soft light gracing the walls and his round skull.

His eye sockets were half-lidded, the lights of his eyes dimly lit, rough dark lines traced the lower half of his eyes. You weren’t aware a skeleton could look so exhausted as he clearly was. He had tossed the sweater off sometime in the night, revealing a white tee the showed off his skeletal arms. He wore no smile today. Your eyes trailed over the bones, his eyes pointedly watching your stare but he didn’t budge; his elbows propped on his knees, hands clasped together, his mouth pressed against them.

                “Do I scare you?”

Tearing your eyes away from his hands you returned to his sockets, still worn and dark, his mouth dipping further into a grimace. “Did you sleep?”

“Answer the question.” Your legs trembled under the growl of his tone and you bought them back to your chest to steady yourself. He sighed at your response, rubbing his temple. “Are you afraid of Paps?”

“No,” the word rushed and louder than intended. You paused to glance back at the sleeping third party; still snoring, oblivious to your conversation. “Papyrus is….” You trailed off trying to find the words. He was too sweet to truly be found scary. You could tell he would never hurt you.

“Yeah,” he chuckled. “That’s okay, I can handle being the scary one.”

“Oh will you stop it?” You hissed glaring up at him. He lazily raised a brow, waiting to hear what you had to say. “It’s... more complicated than that,” you pulled back your hair in a nervous habit, taking notice of the increased brightness of his eyes, firmly locked on your neck. Confused, your fingers lightly traced against it. Pressing gently into the skin you bit back a gasp of pain, your neck was certainly sore. You could only imagine how bruised it must be.

Pointing at your neck you gave him a glare, “I’m way more afraid of the guys who did this than the spooky scary skeleton who saved me.” He shook his head, giving a sullen smile.

“Want to try a trust exercise?”

Your lips pursed, mulling it over. It was the least you could do, and you hated feeling this way towards someone who saved you from the worst experience in your life. You nodded. Silently he rose from the chair and plopped down in front of you on the floor. His left pupil swirled, blue and yellow swirling and melding together, coming aflame. It was eye that you saw throughout the night. “I’m going to heal your neck, okay?” You gave a tight nod but fear still kept your eyes locked on the one eye as if it would attack.

“Change your mind?” His rumbling voice trembled, hesitating as you reminded yourself to breath. “No,” you exhaled, “trust exercise. Do it.”

His smile twitched at your attempt at bravery. “Listen, doll, you won’t hurt my feelings. Just say the word and I’ll back off.” His left hand glowed, wisps of blue flickering into view and you gulped down the immediate fight or flight response creeping into your blood stream. You clenched your eyes shut, your nerves bouncing.

“Mind holding up your hair?”

You nodded, pulling it back, exposing your neck. Gently, the back of a bony finger caressed your neck, leaving a cold trail tingling behind each stroke. You shivered under his touch, your legs trembling not from fear but from anticipation, each magic coated swipe of his fingers sent pleasure down your spine. This had to be strictly from his cold touch, there was no other explanation.

Biting your lip, you tried desperately to keep any sounds from spilling out. You felt his chest press gently push to yours, his breath on the left side of your neck as his hand trailed down the right.

“S—Sans!” His name a breathy moan on your lips as your eyes shot open.

Two feet away stood Frisk watching the whole thing with the most shit eating grin you had ever seen on a ten-year-old child. “Fuck, Sans!” You hissed, dread now pooling in your gut. You gripped his shirt, accidentally brushing your fingers against his rib cage through the fabric. His breath hitched giving a low seductive growl in your ear sending your face aflame. Frisk’s grin widened, wiggling their eyebrows at you as they watched the mortifying scene.

“Relax babe, I’m only checking—“

With all your strength and weight combined, you shoved Sans off breaking the contact completely, his thick skull slamming hard with a resounding thud on the carpet. For a split second his eyes met Frisks then retreated back, a flush of blue overtaking his cheeks. Out of the corner of your eyes you could see Papyrus grinning as well, completely awake.

Mortified you escaped the room of judgement to hide in the hallway bathroom. Taking deep breaths, you splashed cold water on your beat red face, trying to calm yourself. Pulling back your hair you inspected your neck to see if he healed the bruising or played or horrible trick. Prodding the soft skin, you felt no pain from before, and it looked completely normal, as if nothing happened.

You shuddered, thinking back to the feeling his magic left behind. That was something else completely. It _had_ to be the chill; Toriel’s healing magic had been nothing but soft and heartwarming, while his…

You vigorously rubbed your arms to rid yourself of the goosebumps at the memory of his touch. Once fully calm, you stepped out of your safe zone.

Breakfast was relatively quiet; Frisk winked and pointed hand pistols your way, Papyrus swayed joyously in his chair, Sans nowhere to be seen, and Toriel completely lost but enjoying the sunny start to the day. You chowed down on the heavenly pancakes the lovely woman made for you all, savoring each bite. Your eyes darted between the goat mom and Frisk, things starting to click into place.

“Wait, is Frisk your child?”

The child nodded frantically, forming a small heart in their hands. “Oh gosh, I guess I never formally introduced you two,” Toriel's words trailed off as Frisk signed through bites of pancake.

“You’ve… Already met?” She glanced between the two of you as Frisk gave a thumbs up. “Yeah, we met… at...” Frisk frantically signed, throwing X’s your way and zipping their mouth shut, but it was too late, “New Grillby’s…” The child groaned, smacking their head on the table, their hands raised, signing towards their mom what was possibly an apology.

You watched her curiosity meld into shock before turning to an over-protective motherly scowl. “Obviously I need to have a talk with Sans about letting children into bars,” she grumbled, taking the empty plates.

“Alright, why don’t we all get dressed and we’ll head to school?” She forced a cheery grin at us all, clapping her hands together. Papyrus scooped up the groaning tyke who glared daggers at you from their shoulder. You couldn’t help but feel a little happy, almost like payback for the embarrassment earlier.

“You too dear.” She quipped, taking your plate. Were you being punished too? The worry must have etched onto your face, her glare softening. She gave a soft smile, patting your messy hair down.

“I’m sure you don’t want to be alone in this house. Why don’t we run a few errands?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, this was supposed to be like, 2-3 chapters but I couldn't find a good way to split it lol  
> BUT because of how long and serious this chapter got, the next one is gonna be a small but very very fun <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have NEVER written smut so lets hope this is off to a promising start!   
> Enjoy the small filler chap <3

Sans groaned into the pillow, wondering where the hell it all went wrong. He never intended for the ‘Trust Exercise’ to ever go so…. Well, bone rattling amazing was one way to put it. The reaction he got from you was better than he had ever hoped.

Sure, the thought had trickled into the back of his skull on more than one occasion, watching you flit from table to table at New Grillby’s, your short skirt long enough not to flip up, but short enough to keep him hoping. Still, you were a human, you were a breathless beauty, and he…

No, it was impossible.

You were just reacting to the magic. Not to mention you were just assaulted. The thought soured his mood within seconds. If Pap’s hadn’t been there those guys would’ve died that night. No, you were afraid of him…. Right?

                “It’s complicated…” Sans echoed, thinking back on your words.

He sighed, removing the pillow from his face. He could hear Frisks giggles as they raced downstairs, ready to go to school, Papyrus’s loud footsteps behind them. And yours, gently stopping at the door of his room. His eyes narrowed at the frame, taking a glance at your soul; a bright orange with yellow flames licking at its sides. It thumped at his doorstep, growing brightly before you rushed off, following the two downstairs.

The front door shut soon after, the chatter leaving with them, the only thing remaining in the home was silence and Sans. Exactly the way he liked it. Closing his eyes, he stretched out; maybe now he could get some rest.

Or so he thought.

His mind kept replaying the scene against his will.

By the first touch you were gone, parting your shaking legs in an invitation to get closer. Your eyes shut tight, face flushed, captive under his gentle touch. God, you were so warm, so unimaginably soft. He wasn’t aware that humans could feel so… addicting.

Magic pooled against his will, begging to be released from his sweats as he recalled you shivering in pleasure against him. Fuck it, he was alone, and maybe if he got it out of his system he wouldn’t react this way again. This was a one-time thing, purely curiosity.  Yeah.

He obliged to his need, pulling his fully formed cock out, giving it a light squeeze as he pumped. Pre-cum dripped from the ethereal tip as he kept pumping, thinking of you.

How you smelled…

How you bit that succulent lip of yours, squirming as you tried not to make a sound.

If only he had taken it further…

And how you moaned his name, god, it rattled his bones, stringing them tightly as he replayed your voice in his head. He wanted to hear that sound again. He desperately wished to hear your moans, hear his name slipping from your lips as you unraveled before him. He panted your name, pumping faster, wishing he could’ve sucked on that pretty little neck, maybe even bit into it.

Fuck, and your touch? You had barely raked your nails against him and it felt like electricity coursing through his bones.

He ran his fingers down his ribs, trying to recreate the feeling, imagining it was you.

“Fuck,” he gasped, it was nowhere near as breathtaking, but it sent shivers to his cock.

He continued, pumping faster, his fingertips running over where you grasped, his pants growing louder with each thrust. He didn’t hold back now, moaning out your name as he reached climax, his cock spurting out his essence.

He laid in bliss, tingles drifting off his bones, then sighed grabbing a fistful of tissues. Although his cock could pop in and out of existence, the residue it left behind could not.

From two rooms down he could hear a muffled, “you know, I’m still here, Trashbag!”

Sans groaned. For once in his life he forgot about the fucking weed. “Whatever,” he mumbled, rolling over. He was too spent to bother with the useless plant. It never took long for him to fall asleep, but for once it was the most blissful moment to slip into as he dreamt of you.


	9. One More Night

 

You leaned onto the bar stool, watching your customers from afar, a soft smile playing on your lips. The cheerful bar atmosphere was relaxing compared to the hectic shopping trip Miss Toriel had put you through this morning while Papyrus was sent on a ‘Secret Mission’. After waving Frisk goodbye at school you had spent all afternoon picking out outfits for them; apparently all they had was formal dress pants and button up shirts. You even tried on a few clothes yourself, but of course bought nothing. It was an enjoyable girl’s day out that was cut short when you remembered you had work-related responsibilities.

Your eyes flickered to the silent TV; headlines of your attack still running on the local news channel; Local human bartender possibly associated.

All assailants taken to the hospital for serious injuries, one still in critical condition.

Victim’s name yet to be released, reportedly saved by monsters.

Evidence found at scene of crime.

Your gaze returned to the tables of new comers; mostly women who told you in confidence that they felt safer drinking here than at any other bar now. You were happy that more humans, especially women, felt safer here as you did, but you wished it didn’t take an attack to bring it to light. Still, Grillby seemed to be radiating brighter due to the influx in human customers, and was even enjoying making strictly alcoholic beverages for the ones who were still shy about the whole magic thing.

A table of girls waved you over and you happily obliged. Jotting down their orders you relayed it back to Grillby just in time for the dogs to bark for a refill. By the time you made it back the door jingled signaling more customers.

This continued for quite some time, briskly walking to and from each table and the bar counter, making sure everyone was having a good time. It was wonderful to have work to distract you and have time fly by.

You hadn’t realized how tired you were till Grillby rang for last call, thankfully there were few stragglers left on this busy Friday night. They didn’t stay long, thanking the two of you as you locked the door behind them. Collapsing against the closed door, you closed your eyes as a sigh of relief escaped your lips. Grillby’s low chuckle crackled in the empty bar and your eyes fluttered open.

Sans cheeky grin greeted you from the bar, a bottle of ketchup in his hand as if he’d been there the whole night. He was back to his usual blue hoodie and long shorts, his untied shoes a good inch off the floor, dangling from his seat. “Aren’t you a little late?” You quipped, taking the seat next to him. He shrugged, pulling out a small black purse, “sorry, had to pick up some extra baggage.”

Recognizing it as your own you gasped and immediately rummaged through it. Your heart sunk pulling out what was left of your cellphone. It must’ve been trampled in the moment… Still, your wallet, your keys, everything else was there and unharmed.

You pulled him into a tight hug, clutching the back of his blue jacket. “Thank you, Sans,” you whispered, pulling away. He jerked away, fumbling with the cusp of his hoodie as you glanced at anything but you.

“Y—Yeah no problem, kid.”

You couldn’t help but smile at the tint of blue that dusted his skull. You didn’t know much about monster biology but you could deduce that the hue was his version of blushing.

This side of him wasn’t too bad.

Hopping off the barstool you gave Grillby a wave. “I’ll see you later boss!” He gave a warm crinkling wave back as Sans sputtered for you to wait.

You ignored it, hurrying out the door.

You didn’t have your car but you didn’t mind walking to the gym from here; although Undyne wouldn’t be happy at the lack of work-out clothes, she’d appreciate you showing up.

“Hey, I said wait!” His bony hand gripped your wrist, tugging you his direction. Defiantly you yanked it back, rubbing the sore spot his bones clenched around. His eyes softened as he mumbled out an apology, taking a step back for distance.

“You’re not going to your apartment are you?”

You fiddled with the strap of your purse, hiking it higher up your shoulder. “Well… Not right now, no. I’m going to the gym.” You could hear drunken laughter in the distance and you stiffened, “do you wanna walk with me?”

“Sure, kid.”

You swallowed down the irritation of tonight’s name. He usually reserved the nickname for when he was annoyed, but for whatever reason he was using it liberally tonight. Stuffing his hands in the pockets of his hoodie he walked beside you, keeping in time with your pace.

“Ya know kid…”

You frowned at his words.

“Your place, isn’t that safe. _Tibia-_ onest, why not just crash on our couch for another night?”

“And what? You’ll let me go in a couple of days? I can’t live on her couch forever,” you let out an exasperated sigh.

“Well you can’t live in that empty dump—“

The words sent a jolt of fury to your soul. You appreciated everyone’s kindness but you didn’t need this pity. You were doing just fine given your situation!

“That empty dump is my **_home_**!” The words dripping in your outrage as you shouted too loudly in the empty night. You hadn’t even realized you were yelling in front of your destination; you could see Undyne through the glass door, uneasily eyeing the tense mood.

“One more night.” His words terse and gaze unwavering. As you were about to spit out an insult he continued, letting his words tire, “for Paps. It would mean a lot to him to know you’re safe.”

You watched Undyne give a small wave, beckoning the two of you inside. Letting him down was nothing, but letting Papyrus down….

“Get my gym clothes and we have a deal,” you groaned, accepting defeat. You headed inside, knowing he’d take this moment to blip out of the area for your things.

“Everything good?” She glanced at the empty doorway behind you.

“Yeah, he’s just grabbing my clothes. I stayed at his place last night.”

You had said it with no meaning what-so-ever but realized the implications too late. She raised her brows, eyes wide and brimming with the wrong ideas. Before she could even ask Sans popped back in, handing you your cleaned and folded gym attire. You didn’t waste time disappearing into the changing room, avoiding whatever questions she was dying to ask.

It never took you very long to get changed, so after ten minutes Undyne was getting restless. “Are you sure you’re okay?” She hollered for the umpteenth time.

“Yep! Just uh… Human complications!” You could only hope your voice didn’t tell too much cause your reflection in the mirror certainly did. You had the worst poker face.

Your ran your hands over the scratches at your hips once more, your shorts snuggly fitted beneath the markings. If it wasn’t for Undyne’s stupidly revealing training outfit you wouldn’t have this problem. Swallowing your fear, you marched out, praying she wouldn’t notice.

It was the first thing she noticed.

Her eyes locked on to the markings, a frown seeping into her scaly face, her jagged teeth threatening to spill out as it deepened to a grimace. Sharply inhaling, she gave a forced smile gesturing towards the open mat. Wordlessly you followed, assuming the standard position. There was a lull of silence between you as she observed, seconds drawling out to minutes. She gave a sharp shake of her head, breaking the façade.

“Let’s learn some defensive tactics.” 

 

* * *

 

An hour and a half later you could successfully block and twist Undyne around, giving you full control of the fight. She had taught more simple maneuvers, such as easier targets to aim for on an attacker, the eyes, groin, etc. Yet the fact that you, a good foot shorter than Undyne and completely lacking in muscles, could throw her off and twist her arm behind her… It gave you a surge of confidence.

“Alright, nerd! You’re getting the hang of it!” She pulled you into a choke-hold of a hug, ruffling your hair and you let out a laugh. Slipping from her grasp you tumbled your way off the matt, making your way to the sleeping Sans, snoozing away on a bench rack.

You leaned in close to his face, observing the sleepy skelly. The dark bags under his eye sockets were gone, so he must’ve gotten a good day’s sleep. You tried not to chuckle; he even slept with a stupid grin! For the most part he seemed pretty content with staying right there in the gym… You hesitated, glancing at the door. If you booked it now you could probably catch the bus and make it to the apartment in ten minutes. By the time he’d wake it’d be too late.

“You wanna bet?”

You yelped, pulling away as his sockets snapped open, his grin widening.

“Come on, kid, lets’ take a shortcut. It’s late out.” He stood up, stretching his bones, the joints releasing a satisfying ‘pop’. You decided not to question it, chalking it up to magic. He held out his hand that you reluctantly accepted.

Pouting, you turned around and gave Undyne a wave. “I’ll see you Sunday!” Sans let out his own tired, “See ya.”

She gave a cheeky thumbs up, “See you then, Punk! Bye Sans!”

He stepped forward and you followed, his hand still in yours as he approached a door that you hadn’t noticed before.

“Close your eyes.”

You did. Shutting them tight, you clutched onto his hand, blindly following him.

One step, two step, three step…

You gasped, your stomach dropping, your head rushing as felt the unsettling sensation of nothingness, as if you were free-falling. He gave a slight tug, pulling your forward, your foot softly tapping against carpet on your forth step.

You opened your eyes; he didn’t need to tell you, you could feel the homes warmth.

“That…” You blanched, taking a moment for your stomach to fully settle, “Was a lot better with Papyrus.”

“Yeah, it’s a _skele-ton_ easier when you’re not grounded to begin with.”

There was an awkward silence as your eyes adjusted to the darkness. You took a look around the dim living room; you could make out a spare pillow and blanket already laid out on the couch. He must’ve warned the doting goat mom. You looked back at Sans just in time to see his eyes yank away from your hips.

“Hey…” His voice low, his eyes trailing up your body too slowly for your liking. Your throat dried as the lights of his eyes finally met yours. Your legs threatened to tremble as he closed to gap between the two of you.

“How about a trust exercise?”

His cold fingers brushed against the markings at your hips and you instinctively pushed back. Hard.

“No!” You shuddered, trying to catch your breath. “No. No trust exercise.” You couldn’t take another one. You weren’t even sure what happened the first time, and here you were alone in the dead of the night…

It wasn’t that you didn’t trust Sans. You didn’t trust yourself.

“Right. Sorry if I _ribbed_ ya the wrong way.”

You weren’t given the chance to search for the lights of his eyes; he turned abruptly, heading up the stairs. You kept your mouth shut, listening to his fading footsteps.

“Goodnight, kid.”

You listened to the quiet shut of his door and you glanced back at the couch. Unfolding the blanket, you settled yourself down into the comfy furniture. It didn’t take long to find the most comfortable position, sleep creeping up as your eyes closed.

“Goodnight,” you whispered to the empty room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the Kudos! I can't believe I broke 100!!  
> Next Update on Tuesday!


	10. A Quiet Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little short, but I was determined to post something today, as promised!

You let out a groan, turning towards the source of your annoyance. Your cheek was pushed and squished once more and you cried out for it to stop. They did not, continuing to prod whatever they could reach. “No…” You whined, turning away, pulling the covers over your head.

You let out an ‘Oomph’ as your small, yet determined, assailant climbed atop of you, attempting to uncover your face. You couldn’t help but giggle at the child’s attempt, finally giving in and opening your eyes.

“Frisk, you little brat!”

You wrapped your blanketed arms around them, successfully burrito-ing the child as they squealed in protest.

You giggled as they eventually wriggled free, rolling off the couch and onto the carpet. Brushing themselves off the floor, they crinkled and tapped their nose, making a face.

“Oh, yeah,” you glanced down, “I should probably take a shower, huh?” You were so exhausted from training last night you hadn’t even noticed. “Do you know where my clothes are?” They gave a nod and signed halfway before stopping with a frown. You couldn’t help but feel ashamed for not taking the time to learn a universal language.

“I’ll go take a shower. Why don’t you bring them up to the bathroom for me?”

Their face lit up, giving a cheery nod, running off to fetch your clothes. You wasted no time heading upstairs to hop in the shower. Tossing the stinky clothes in a pile at the side you began to play with the tubs knobs. Finding the perfect temperature, you stepped inside, pulling the curtain across.

A sigh of relief slipped from your lips as the warm water pattered against your bare skin. You carefully examined the colorful bottles huddled at the corner top of the tub; you only had the choice of children’s shampoo and body wash. It was unsurprising, given that Frisk was the only human in the house.

The door gently opened as you rinsed the shampoo from your hair, the child’s giggle echoing in the tiled room. “Thanks, sweetie. I’ll be right out,” you called. Their only reply was the door quietly shutting. Humming to yourself you continued, lathering yourself up with the fruity body wash. Your mind drifted off as you relaxed…

What time was it? Where was everyone else?

Why did Frisk never talk? They didn’t seem to be completely mute, and clearly weren’t deaf…

You paused, hearing the click of the door opening once more. Frisk must be getting impatient, and because of your daydreaming you weren’t sure how long you had been in there.

“Hello again, cutie,” you teasingly called. There was a clatter of objects hitting the floor, the sound reverberating loudly. Did they slip? Fear for the child’s safety forced you to tear away the curtain to see if they were unharmed.

“Frisk, are you—“

Sans arms were frigid, stuck in the act of catching the array of items he had hastily dropped. The skeletons eyes vanished in its sockets at the sight of you. The mouth that held its typical grin was slightly agape and a vibrant shade of blue erupted, covering the front face of his skull.

With a cry you clutched the curtain, dragging it around your body, sputtering curses as your face flushed. Before you could scream at him to get out he was gone; you hadn’t so much as blinked and he had disappeared. If it wasn’t for the things he left behind you would’ve thought you were hallucinating.

Trying to calm yourself, you twisted the knobs, ending the steady stream of water. Your relaxing shower had ended with a heart pounding embarrassment. You picked up the mess on the floor; a plastic cup, toothbrush, and a bottle of soap.

That idiot was probably half asleep when he wandered in here. You groaned, stuffing your face into the nearest fluffy towel. Sure it was embarrassing, you admitted, but it could’ve been worse. You were just over-reacting. He was just a monster, there was no way he was interested in things like that…

Once again you found yourself getting lost in your thoughts; monster and human relationships were uncommon but not completely unheard of.

Would that even work? How did it work? Monsters came in all shapes, sizes, and consistencies.

You must have been moving in auto-pilot, you realized, staring at yourself in the mirror. You could only vaguely recall pulling the red tank top over your head, let alone pulling up the black tights and dark blue jean shorts. The kid had also added a black jacket, but it wasn’t yours. Still, you slid it on; surprisingly it fit well. A little too well.

You gave your hair one last rub down in an attempt to dry it then scooped your dirty clothes, heading out. A laugh stopped you from going down the stairs; it was childlike, but held an undertone of malice, unlike Frisk’s. Curious, you stepped towards the source; Frisk’s bedroom.

Peering inside, you could see the small child whispering to a yellow flower on their windowsill. It was the same flower you had woken up to in the bathroom; once again it was facing away from you, the rising sunlight hitting its front. Something about this was odd; the urge to pull the house plant around to face you was difficult to shake.

It was just a flower, right?

“Frisk?”

The child’s whispers halted, their head turning in surprise, their face growing red as their hands clamped tightly around their mouth. Were they scared to talk?

“Hey, it’s okay. I didn’t hear anything, I promise.”

They were uncertain, glancing between you and the plant. After a brief moment of silence, they sighed, sullenly walking up to you. Without a word they took your dirty clothes from you and tossed it in a dirty hamper at the corner of the room. You didn’t really want your clothes mixed up since you were leaving soon, but you didn’t argue it.

Frisk tugged at your hand, pulling you out of the room and downstairs, still not signing to you. You stopped at the living room, bending down to their eye-level. “Hey, it’s okay if you don’t want to talk,” you soothed, giving their hand a light squeeze, “But I’ll always be here whenever you want to start.”

For a split second you thought they would, their mouth opening to reply, but slowly shut. Instead they nodded, giving a smile that eased your heart.

“So where is everyone else?”

You asked, giving the child a light pat on their head. They held up a finger, rushed over to a backpack by the front door, and hastily returned. Grinning wide they held up their small personal erase board and marker. Immediately they scribbled away.

**Mom is sleeping**

You nodded as they continued.

**Pap jogging with Undyne**

“Oh, wow. This early?” You wondered if Paps was a big health fanatic like Undyne, or if he was under some strange training regimen as well.

Frisk giggled and nodded, then erased and wrote some more.

**And you know where Sans is**

You could feel the heat creeping up on your face as you recalled the shower.

“Yeah…” You let out an uneasy laugh. Their smile started to dip seeing how uncomfortable the thought made you. Wishing not to see their good mood disappear again, you changed topics.

“Hey, why don’t we make breakfast? We can surprise Miss Toriel!”

With a gasp the smile child began excitedly bouncing in place. You could tell they wanted to scream in a resounding ‘Yes!’

Instead they wrote it all over the erase board.

The joy in their eyes was infectious, you could feel yourself buzzing with their level of energy and excitement to make something great. You two were going to make the best breakfast ever, you could feel it.

“Alright, Frisky, let’s go start the cooking lesson!”


	11. You've gotta be yolking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say sorry for taking so long to update!  
> Here's a big chapter to make up for it <3

The cooking lesson had started out as an impending disaster. Frisk, in all their excited glory, had pulled out anything that could possibly be made into breakfast food. Bacon, eggs, flour, butter, milk, orange juice…

The list grew as the small child continued to pilferage the fridge and cabinets. Eventually they got a little too wild, pulling out hot sauce and ice cream. Steering them away from the fridge you handed the child what you were mixing, in hopes to distract them. Returning the few odder items, you glanced back at the child.

“Now, not too hard Frisk,” you chuckled as the child stirred viciously with all their might. Confused, they slowed, stirring at a moderate pace as you found a few pans. Once you got situated, it was smooth sailing from there on out. You taught Frisk how to properly crack eggs with one hand, how to _not_ stir like a mad-man, and when to flip a pancake. The only thing you failed was how to cook bacon in the oven.

Catching a whiff of burnt bacon, you gave a child-friendly curse, hurrying to take out the greasy pan from the oven. You set it on the stove-top, inspecting the crisp, yet not completely burnt bacon. Before you could comment there was a loud cry; the house shook as a loud thud disrupted the cheery morning and a door slammed open with such force you wondered if it went through a wall.

“PAPYRUS, NO!”

Toriel’s harsh yell bounced off the walls and into the kitchen, your heart dropping as she frantically rushed in, eyes wide. Your breath choked up in your throat as you froze, scared that you may have violated some unknown rule of cooking. There was a beat of terror, then she let out a shaky breath, gripping the wall, looking as if she might collapse.

Frisk’s giggle bubbled up, filling the silence. Slowly you and Toriel joined in, the giggles exploding to full on laughter. Once it died down, Tori straightened herself, brushing off her pink nightgown as she approached.

“Sorry to scare you, Frisk and I just wanted to surprise you with breakfast,” you told her, gesturing to the plate of pancakes and eggs. Her brown eyes shimmered as she brought the two of you in for a hug. You relaxed, sighing into it, her affection warming your soul as she kissed you and Frisk’s foreheads.

“Thank you, my children,” she whispered, pulling away. You shared a look with Frisk as the goat mom wiped her eyes, surprised at the sudden affection over a simple breakfast. Quickly, Frisk signed and rushed off, leaving the two of you.

“My child…”

You turned, shoving your hands in your jacket pockets. “Yes?” You bit back the urge to add ‘mom’. Her unwavering kindness was starting to affect you.

“Where did you find the jacket? I was so sure to hide it,” she mused, her eyes kind.

“Frisk brought it to me… Whose is it?”

She chuckled, handing you a bright orange plate. It suited the bubbly atmosphere of the home.

“Well… It’s yours! Papyrus thought you could use a new one!”

Your mouth dried at her words, hastily trying to fill your plate and walk away. Still, she continued, “He… Told me you didn’t have much in belongings… And while doing your laundry I noticed you didn’t have another.”

Frisk trotted back in, Sans in tow, wearing the same as the night before. Although grateful for the kind thought, annoyance trickled down your body that you fought to shake off. She wasn’t trying to pity you, but still, the bitter word screamed in the back of your mind.

“Gotta say, kid, it smells _egg-_ cellent,” Sans joked, stepping between the two of you for a plate. As Toriel’s snickers filled the kitchen you took advantage of the opportunity and backed away to the dining room.

You already planned out your next move; politely and graciously accept Miss Toriel’s kindness, but immediately leave after breakfast. You couldn’t accept any more gifts from the woman, and while this fairytale bliss was nice, it was time to come back to your senses.

Soon the trio followed, Frisk rushing to sit next to their mother, leaving Sans with the awkward decision to sit by you. You chewed in silence while Toriel praised you and Frisk’s cooking, Frisk happily signing after each bite about the joyous morning.

“So, what are your plans for today, my dear?”

Her eyes warm and hopeful as she turned to you. You could see she hoped for another ‘Girls Day Out’. You swallowed down the large bite of pancake, trying to think of the most delicate way to say it. “I have to work at 3, but before that I was hoping to go back home. I just moved and I’m not done settling down over there. I’m sure Paps told you how bare it was,” you gave a lighthearted chuckle, and took one last bite of your food.

Unfortunately, you couldn’t tell her the truth, that the small apartment would most likely remain in that condition for a while. Something told you if Toriel knew, she wouldn’t let you continue living on your own. Or god forbid she would buy a whole furniture set for you.

Cheerfully she clasped her hands together, “Oh how wonderful! Frisk and I would love to help!”

You nearly choked on your food. Taking a swig of orange juice, you rethought your plan. “No, really. That’s awfully kind but it’s something I should do on my own.”

Rejection blatantly crossed her features and you stumbled over your words to appease the situation. “But, I’d love to invite you next time for decorating ideas!” You anxiously added. She gave a huff but accepted. Once her attention turned back towards Frisk you slipped out with your plate.

You and Frisk hadn’t exactly been cleanly while cooking; flour was spilled over the counter twice, milk sloshed on the other side, bowls haphazardly tossed into the sink...

 You supposed you could clean up after yourself; after all it was the least you could do. Discarding the jacket to a nearby stool you begun your clean-up process.

“Hey, kid, what’s eatin ya?”

You bit your lip hard mid-jump in surprise. “Could you **not**?” You growled, picking back up the plate you dropped.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to _scramble_ you.”

You ignored him as you opened up the dish washer, delicately placing the rinsed dishes inside.

“Now, now, don’t go _bacon_ my heart. I thought we were past this.”

Ignore it. It’ll be just like week one.

Deliberately avoiding his eyes, you finished up, pulling the jacket back on. You could vaguely remember your purse being near the couch, now to find your clothes…

“Aw, come on, kid. I don’t expect you to _shower_ me with praise, but you could at least _crack_ a smile.”

Did he just reference pun you?

Annoyed, you couldn’t help but give a quick glare; a cheeky grin that rivaled Frisks spread wide on his bony skull, his eyes glowing brighter as your eyes met his for a millisecond, before pulling away. Your patience grew thin upon realizing that you gave him exactly what he wanted; your attention.

Before you could give him the satisfaction of snapping back, Toriel and Frisk walked in, their happiness sapping away the growing tension.

Toriel took a glimpse at the two of you, sensing the unease as Sans stepped away, heading off to another room.

“Are you leaving, dear?”

“Yeah, I was just—“

Before you could finish Sans reappeared, chucking your duffle bag. Through the sudden surprise you managed to catch it painfully against your chest.

“She was just asking for a skele-guard for the walk back.”

Knowing he wasn’t going to let up, you simply nodded along. Her shoulders relaxed upon hearing the news and she gave you a warm smile. She pulled you into another hug and Frisk did the same, squishing their face into your side. “Well dear, please come back soon. It was a pleasure having you.”

“Thank you for having me, for feeding me... Thank you for the jacket. This place is—”

Home.

“—Comforting. Thank you for everything, really.” Reluctantly you pulled away, a smile gracing your features. You hoped it didn’t show how heavy your heart felt. You exchanged a few more goodbyes as you walked out, making sure to grab your purse.

The warmth of the morning didn’t leave till you were a block away, leaving you feeling drained and empty as you finally made it to the bus stop.

“Shortcut?”

You shook your head at his offer. Although you hated walking anywhere in your only pair of shoes, you didn’t want to be back so quickly, regardless of how rushed you were to leave. The bus was achingly slow to arrive in the quiet morning air; the sun had finally fully risen, the sky clear and bright in its rays. It wasn’t as cold, or maybe it was and the jacket simply helped make a difference.

Finally, the vehicle arrived, the door folding open to allow you onboard. Immediately you could recognize the difference between boarding the bus with Goat Mom and boarding it with a walking skeleton. There weren’t many passengers aboard, but all gave either an uneasy or plain hateful stare at the unknown monster. Taking the seats closest to the front, you tugged Sans hoodie, eyeing the strangers. They didn’t really take a glance at you, but a few of the looks Sans received made you thankful it was daylight.

“Next time, we’ll take the shortcut,” you whispered, as an older man finally turned away, the disgusted look on his face reflecting on the window.

“So there’s a next time?” His gruff chuckle lightening the mood between the two of you.

“Of course. You expect me to stay away from Papyrus for long?” You gave him a wink, much to the displeasure of the company around you. You ignored the audible disgust, turning your full attention towards him instead.

“You’re really not—I mean, you really like Paps?” He glanced at the others for a moment before returning to your face. He wanted to ask if you weren’t scared.

“I don’t think your stories did justice to how awesome he really is.”

He gave a quiet laugh, his affection for the brother swelling in his eyes, a faint blue dusting across his cheekbones. As much as you hated to admit it, the loving brotherly side of him was a little cute.

“Could you take your monster love somewhere else?”

The shrill voice interrupted your thoughts. You didn’t even bother to grace the woman with look, but Sans certainly did. The lights of his eyes dissolved, leaving the empty void of his sockets, giving the woman a sinister glare that you shivered away from. The bus slowed, reaching your intended destination; you wasted no time stepping off.

Desperately you tried to block to vision out of your mind, trudging forward, each step more chilling than the last, your ears ringing, blocking out any other noise.

Emotions fizzling up as your mind flickered back to when Sans reached, peering into something that was whole-heartedly you, something painful, something unknown. Fear forced another shiver out of you, abandonment looming at your back.

Only when Sans popped into existence before you did you manage to snap out of it.

“Are you okay? Look, I’m sorry back there, I didn’t mean—I wasn’t trying to—“

His endless babbling wasn’t making any sense, but it brought you at ease, silencing the echoes in your head. Scary Sans wasn’t who Sans really was, and you needed to get past that. A flash of yellow caught your eye and you peered behind the sweating skeleton.

You could see your apartment; in fact, you were certain anyone within a mile radius could see your apartment. It was heavily taped off in yellow police wrappings, several squad cars parked in front, one with lights blinking. Your car that was parked out front now had a boot clamped on its back tire, a tow-truck hooking up as neighbors watched from afar. Several police men stood outside, discussing amongst themselves while others carried cameras, clicking away at anything that could give a hint of information.

You could see your blonde neighbor, carefully evading questioning police as she tried to escape as a local news van pulled up. She dipped into her car, slamming it shut, then looked over, finding you; her look of surprise was brief as she tried to catch herself, glancing around at the mess. She gave a sharp shake of her head as if to say ‘Don’t come near’.

As inconspicuous as she tried to be, an officer followed her eyesight, catching your figure in the distance. The flash of camera caught you off guard, the officer yelling for you to stop as Sans hoisted you up. There was no door this time, no ease of walking between dimensions, just a nightmare vision of everything melting away as you were harshly yanked and shoved into another place in the world.

Walking through felt like falling, immediate teleporting felt like you were being spun faster than you could see.

Falling to the floor, you prayed you wouldn’t see your breakfast again. Closing your eyes only made the sensation worse, so instead you focused hard onto the carpeted floor, inspecting each individual bristle, telling your body you were fine. Your stomach lurched and swirled, the room spinning despite how grounded you were. You weren’t aware of how badly you were shaking till Sans still, calm hand, pressed against your back, repeating those soothing motions from the other night. Your shaking subsided as he continued to whisper apologies for the sudden teleportation. 

Once your brain caught up with your vision and your stomach settled enough for you to trust it, you sat up. You slipped your shoes off between steps, your foot lightly kicking against a paper ball trash field as you made it across the dark room. Gracelessly you flopped onto the half-bare mattress on the far side of the room, un-balling the gray sheets and then re-forming the ball around you.

“You… Doing okay there, kid?”

You breathed into the sheets, tightening them around you. You make out a hint of cedar and the grease of Grillby’s fries. Your shoulders shook, fighting back a snort; it was so utterly Sans-like.

“Yeah… Yeah. I’m just tired right now,” you muttered into the blanket. It was true; with forced teleporting adding to the rollercoaster of emotions, everything was draining you. And it didn’t help that Frisk woke you up at the literal crack of dawn.

“Can I stay here?”

When he didn’t reply you rolled over to face him, trash bending somewhere underneath. The crinkle of plastic annoyed you, your hands roaming to find the source. Pulling out a plastic wrapper of what once held a Twinkie, you flicked it off the bed, allowing it to flutter to the floor to join its brothers and sisters.

“Wouldn’t you rather sleep in Paps bed? It’s—“

“Can I stay?”

The fact that it made him all the more uncomfortable to be faced with his own mess made it all the more desirable to stay. Maybe he’d even clean it.

Defeated, he let out a sigh, “Sure, kid. Any other demands?”

“Yes,” You grumbled, turning away to face the wall again. It was as dark and gray as the rest of the room. It was disheartening to see such a clear difference between the brothers in their rooms. Papyrus was bright, shining and warm. He left his door open for all the view his collection of books, figures, and friends. Here you were shut away, the sunlight unable to peek through the blanketed blinds, and if not for the trash, the room was bare of any possessions. In a way it was sickly comforting, given that your apartment held the same similarities.

“Stop calling me, kid. I liked the other nicknames better.”

His soft reply was muffled and lost between the blankets you bundled your head into. You didn’t mind, his laugh was the only thing you needed to hear, encouraging a small smile on your own lips. As your breathing slowed and sleep took over, you felt the light brush of your hair and a hushed voice, so quiet you may have imagined it.

“Sleep tight, beautiful.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say thank you again for all the kudos and comments!! I wish I could reply quicker to them all, it's so encouraging to see them.  
> Thank you for reading!


	12. The Problem at Hand

You were silent in your awakening to the world around you; a skeletons blurry hand coming into focus as you blinked through the haze. He looked awfully uncomfortable, his forehead pressed into the edge of the mattress, his body sitting upright on the floor at your bedside. He was clearly asleep, but why he had decided to sleep there was a mystery to you. His left hand was left exposed by your face, leaving you to marvel at how it all held together. Magic, you assumed, since that’s how anything monster-like worked.

Still, it was a unique experience to be so close, to see each tiny individual bone and the empty space between the digits where tendons and muscles would naturally lay. Your hand slithered up from the blanket so tightly strung around you, and gently caressed the bony hand. When he didn’t react, you took it in yours, your fingers trailing softly against the bone.

The bones were certainly tougher than they looked, solid, smooth, yet there were small ridges and bumps where a fingerprint would be if he had skin. Your fingertip dipped in between the bone in the palm of his hand, causing his fingers to twitch. You froze, letting him settle back down into your hand, still asleep and unmoving.

Suddenly you were acutely aware of how awkward you were being. Sure, many monsters poked and prodded you when you first started working, but at least most of the time they asked first, and they didn’t do it in your sleep like a fucking weirdo. Before you could drop the hand back in its place, he woke, grinning up at your mortified expression. He yanked your wrist towards him as you pulled away, a strangled gasp of surprise cutting into the silence.

“Well, well, can’t say I expected you to get all _handsy_ with me,” he chuckled, taking a look at your open palm. It seemed it was his turn now. He ran the bony phalanges of his hand across your palm, following the creases in your skin, and you relaxed, allowing him to explore.

“I thought you were used to humans,” you commented as he moved on to observe your nails.

“I’m used to Frisk,” he replied, lacing his fingers between yours, “You are a completely different being.”

He admired the look of his bones clasped against your fingers, your palms pressed against one another, bone and flesh side by side. Feeling warmer than you should, you yanked your hand back, unwrapping yourself from the sheets.

“What time is it?” You asked, grabbing your duffle bag from the floor. You had completely forgotten about work; you hated to see how Grillby would panic if you were late.

The light of his phone reflected onto the walls of the dark room, his skull illuminating off it. “About ten till five. We—“

“ **Ten till five**?!” You screeched, dropping the bag. You had never been late. Never. Nor had you ever imagined Grillby firing you, but being two hours late with no working phone might do it. You ignored the hard knock at the door; whoever it was could wait.

“Sans we need to go. We need to go, NOW,” You yelled, gripping the seams of his jacket. The knocking persisted as he stared, wide-eyed at your fully crazy intent to leave.

“Calm down, sweet cheeks, you’re freaking Frisk out,” he rolled the lights of his eyes, pushing past you. He swung the door open, the light so blindingly bright you flinched away from it.

“Okay, kid, she’s all yours.”

Frisk rushed in before he could even finish the sentence, slamming into you and gripping your waist tightly in a hug. Seeing you were fine, they pulled away, angrily signing towards Sans who gave an annoyed huff.

“Did… Something happen while I was out?” You asked as the child pulled you into another hug.

“Not really. Frisk wanted the stupid weed to watch you.”

You were surprised at the sharpness in his words. So what if the kid wanted a flower to protect you? Was he allergic to house plants or something?

“Wait, no! I need to go to work,” you sputtered, removing Frisk from your mid-section. They pouted, then glanced around at your surroundings. Their nose crinkled at the mess and they signed, most likely telling Sans to clean their room. He ignored it, and instead began gently pushing the two of you out.

“Chill. Grillby knows everything. You go back to work when this thing blows over.” He closed the door behind him and you could hear the click of a lock. Was it automatic?

“I can’t—How am I—Hold on, what about the police?” You had dozens of questions running through your head, it was frustrating not being able to scream them out all at the same time.

“Tori’s working on it. Hopefully you won’t have to talk to them.”

He paused, taking a look at Frisk who seemed to be asking a question. He glanced back at you and shook his head. Once again they signed, repeating their question.

“Frisk, no—“

The child defiantly let out a huff then shoved their arms out, gesturing towards you as if to say ‘Ta-dah’. The angry pout on their face making the whole situation adorable.

“Listen, this is cute, but what the hel—heck, is going on?”

Frisk gave a wink at your attempt to catch yourself. You were just glad Toriel was out of earshot; you were sure she wouldn’t approve of PG-13 language.

“It’s nothing, Frisk is just being a brat,” he snapped, pulling at your shoulder.

“Whoa, I don’t think so,” you retorted, slapping off his hand, your eye twitching at the sharp sting of his hard bone against your flesh, “I don’t know what got your bones so strung up, but you need to back off.” His face struggled between being proud at the jab or insulted at your sudden stand-off. Not bothering to see the result you turned away, bending towards Frisk.

“What’cha want cutie?”

They signed for a moment then gave a small, unsatisfied smile at the language block.

“They want to bring a useless yellow weed to Anime Night,” he translated, albeit unhappily. You were unaware of such a night, but didn’t see why it would be wrong to say yes to such a silly request.

“I don’t see a problem in bringing a flower to Anime Night,” you shot him a look before giving Frisk a small pat and a smile, “we wouldn’t want them to be lonely, now would we?”

The child’s eyes widened for a moment, then they gave a bright grin, nodding. Enlightened by your words, they bounced off towards their room, leaving you and Sans to conquer the stairs on your own. Heading down, you couldn’t help but feel a little proud at winning the argument.

“You…You met that thing?”

You turned, looking up at Sans who hadn’t moved from the top of the staircase, his expression unreadable.

“I mean, yeah. I ‘met’ it when I nearly drowned while taking a bath,” you laughed, remembering your stupidity. You started to feel like you had the ability to fall asleep anywhere; it was both incredibly convenient and stupidly dangerous at the same time.

“You’re awake!” Toriel’s soft voice called from the bottom of the stairs. You bounded towards her and she wrapped you into a warm hug that you enthusiastically returned. “I’m sorry if I worried you,” you pulled back, “Sans mentioned something about you dealing with the police? What’s going on?”

Without missing a beat, she gently led you into the kitchen, a warm cup of tea waiting on the counter for you. You took a glance back; Sans didn’t follow. Shaking off the jilted feeling, you wandered in, listening intently to Toriel.

“So the police had collected your items at the scene of the attack,” her words coarse as she spoke, her eyes trailing to where your wounds had healed. “Your cellphone, your ID, everything was at their disposal. They didn’t want the news outlets to make such a fuss, so they deliberately kept your information a secret, hoping you would come quietly yourself to collect your items and file a report. They wished to interrogate you on what monsters saved you. Or if you were actually saved.”

Her eyes narrowed, glaring into the cup of tea in her palms. It was unsettling to see fire in her eyes, but it was quick, passing as she looked back up at you with a weary smile.

“Sans wasn’t a fan of them with-holding your belongings in order to force you into speaking with them. You could say he... stole your belongings back.” She brought the cup to her lips, giving it a small blow to cool the still steaming liquid. You did the same; the wisp of hot air caressing your lips. You took a small sip; the tea far too hot to enjoy, yet Toriel seemed unfazed by the temperature, steadily drinking it in.

“So, let me guess, they weren’t happy?”

“They were not.”

She set the cup back down, her nails rapping against the ceramic countertop, thinking of how to continue.

“They still had your information, regardless, and with the physical evidence missing they launched a full investigation on your whereabouts. With monsters so heavily involved, certain individuals believed you were in danger.”

Ah, good ol’ racism.

“This morning they were scoping the apartment, but found nothing. Well, no, they found a half-deflated air mattress and a coffee pot."

You blatantly avoided her gaze. You had a feeling they also told her you were  _not_ a new-comer to the area, but in fact, a five month tenant.

"As they debated on whether or not to file a Missing Person’s Report you were spotted, being…”

She groaned, clearly aggravated, her hand rubbing the temple of her forehead as if she was reliving the moment with the officers.

“Being ‘Kidnapped’ by a Skeleton.”

You had the tragic luck of taking a first sip of the tea as she spoke the last sentence, choking at her words. You sputtered, trying to breathe through the uneasy trickle of the tea making its way down the wrong pipe. Your only saving grace was that it was no longer scorching hot.

“Okay, so, now what. I talk to the police and tell them I’m not kidnapped?” You took another sip, trying to steady yourself.

“Yes and no. I’m trying to have them keep this as private as possible, but it’s become increasingly difficult. The media is demanding a press conference to know the truth.”

You grimaced at her words; they were trying to force you into the public eye. Tensions between species was still rough, and here in the stronghold where the Ambassador resides, is the perfect stage for pro-monster stories to kick start peace.

“It’s the easiest route,” you reflected, setting down your cup.

“But at high risk…” She finished, her eyes melancholy as she watched you mull over your choices.

She knew high risk. Frisk was only a child but had to have full surveillance due to the controversial political position. You doubted Sans and Papyrus were their only bodyguards; they were just visible ones. Taking this route would mean being put in the spotlight, being scrutinized and despised or placed on a pedestal depending on the viewpoint.

That meant they would find you. See what you’ve become, who you’re now with. Would they approach you? Or would they rather expose what you once were?

You shivered, shaking the thought from your mind.

“Take the night to think it over, my child. I’ll take care of the rest,” she leaned over the counter, giving a light kiss against your hair as she took your half-full cup. Slightly embarrassed at the motherly affection you turned away, spotting Sans resting against the walls ledge between the kitchen and foyer.

He seemed calmer, wearing a casual smirk, his eye sockets half lidded, almost taunting you for not noticing him sooner. He beckoned his finger at you to come closer and you obeyed, curious at his intentions and the flutter it caused at the base of your stomach.

“You ready to enjoy Anime Night, doll face?”

You gave a teasing roll of your eyes but smiled. You were just content with not being referred to as a kid anymore.

“Sounds wonderful,” you chuckled, “but I have to ask… What’s Anime Night?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy cow! Thank you so much for the comments guys, I was blown away by all the responses!!  
> I hope you like this chap, it's a bit more plot than fluff, so I hope to make up for it in the next one ;)  
> As always, thank you for reading and thank you for the support! <3


	13. Anime Night?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An oddly normal chapters for April Fool's Day

“So… Cool Japanese cartoons?” You asked, after his lengthy description.

The two of you ended up moving to the couch for this discussion, both of you on opposing sides, your backs against the armrests, facing one another. He had tried to stay aloof about the question but his enthusiasm got the best of him, leading to a solid thirty-minute session of what exactly was ‘anime’.

“Y—Yeah just go with that. Don’t say anything to Alphys,” he finished, giving in to your deduction. He clearly wanted to argue past that, but he seemed too lazy to commit.

Still, the way he said it made you wonder how long Alphys would go on for. Was she a bigger nerd than he was?

You decided you’d rather not experience it first-hand.

“And this Anime Night, it’s not here?”

His foot, covered by a fuzzy pink slipper, nudged against your leg. “Bingo. It’s at Alphys and Undyne’s place. I took Frisk while Tori filled you in.” 

Annoyed with his still prodding foot, you gave in, pulling back your leg to press against your chest, allowing him more room to cover the couch.

“So, why not here? There’s plenty of room,” you glared at the selfish skeleton who slid further down the couch, stretching as far as he could, “Or at least there was.”

The couch coverage ratio had to be 90-10 by now. His foot was twitching to nudge you again, just to see how far he could take this.

“That’s cause Tori’s going on a date!” He was so spread over his head rested on the seat-cushion of the couch, his face staring upward, forcing him to yell up at the ceiling, clearly egging on the only other person in the house.

There was the clutter of a pan, then a very un-motherly like curse before the goat mom sputtered out an angry reply.

“It—It is NOT a date, Sans!”

He grinned, but it was off. It wasn’t as bright as usual. You wanted to question it but held your tongue; maybe it was best not to know. Instead you asked another.

“So, if it’s not a date what is it?”

“A DISCUSSION,” she huffed loudly. You could hear the clatter of dishes as she resumed putting them away. You raised a brow to the skeleton and he shrugged, crawling loser. You glared at him; you couldn’t budge anymore or else you’d end up on the floor. Right when you were about to retort he leaned in.

“It really isn’t a date. They kind of yell a lot,” he whispered. The concern for her must have been evident, for he quickly added with a laugh, “it’s Asgore you should be worried about.”

Both brows raised this time. That name rang a deafening bell. “Hold up, Asgore as in Asgore the King of Monsters?” You weren’t sure why you were speaking quietly too, but he humored you, leaning in closer, your faces mere inches away.

“Well yeah, Toriel _is_ the ex-Queen.”

“ ** _What are you two whispering about_**?”

The two of you jumped; you held back a squeak of surprise while Sans bones seemed to visibly shudder at the demand.

“Just more anime,” you gave a shaky laugh, hopping off the couch.

“There’s anime you have to whisper about?”

Her question was innocent but caught you off-guard, you glanced at Sans who seemed as shocked as you. He did explain that it was basically adult cartoons but now you were wondering if it went a step further than that. Sans perceptive smirk threw you off guard and you struggled to keep a straight face. You had basically mentally asked Sans if anime porn was a thing, and he knew it.

“We should really get going, Frisk is waiting for us right?” You clapped your hands loudly as if it would distract her from the conversation.

“And Alphys and Undyne, and Pap is there right? God, I feel like I haven’t seen him in forever,” you were rambling now, tugging Sans hard off the couch. “Gosh, and I’m so hungry, I hope they have food ready, there’s food right? Of course there is,” you were shoving him now, as if it would help him make magical portals to wherever. He was shaking with silent laughter now as you struggled to desperately escape the situation, goat mom staring hard into the back of your skull trying to figure out your train of thought.

Once again you had looked away, the same purple door appearing just out of your line of vision. Without warning he picked you up, your arms instinctively grasping around his neck for stability. “See you tonight, Tori,” he managed to say without a laugh.

“Bye! Have fun on your date!” You didn’t have the same control, a giggle escaping mid-sentence, the rattle of his bones encouraging more. Before she could continue her interrogation he stepped through the doorway. You shut your eyes, and just like with Papyrus you buried your face into his jacket, holding on tight.

It seemed to take longer than your previous experiences with teleportation; your arms trembling slightly as you tried not to grip too hard. Did they live farther away? You wanted to peek but the thought of teleport-sickness was a strong deterrent. The seconds trickled by as you awkwardly clung on, hoping you weren’t uncomfortable to hold.

“Hey, we’re here,” He finally announced, gently setting you down. You released him, stopping mid thanks upon seeing his drained look.

“Hey, are you okay? Was I too heavy?”

His lids drooped and he gave a weary smile. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. Just need to rest a bit.” He gave a yawn, his arms in the air as he stretched his bones. You took a glance around, taking in your surroundings. He seemed to have brought you to the living room.

It was an average size, with several large pastel colored beanbags scattered about for you to lounge in. Every inch of wall space was covered in shelving; half the room covered DVD box-sets, the other half in colorful books and series. Figurines and plushies were decorated tastefully amongst the shelves, a few of the larger ones sitting by the beanbags. You could hardly believe this was Undyne’s house.

“I think I heard a couple a’ punks,” Undynes loud voice echoed from what you presumed was the kitchen.

Her blue scaly head poked out and upon seeing you she gave a toothy grin, “about time! We just ordered pizza!”

"HUMAN!”

You tried not to wince as Papyrus rushed forward, lifting you into a hug.

“I’m overjoyed that you could join us for Anime Night!” He tried his best not to yell at an outrageous decibel while you were hugged close to his face. It didn’t quite work, but you applauded his effort. You wriggled out of his tight hug, Sans careful hand keeping you from falling backwards when your feet hit the ground.

Taking notice of his tired brother, he easily picked him up, tossing him over his shoulder. “Thanks, Paps,” Sans drowsily muttered. “I shall deliver the Lazy Bones to his chair,” the taller brother declared, turning on his heel towards his destination. You tried not to laugh at the shorter skeleton who had already seemed to fall asleep.

Heading into the kitchen, you gave Alphys a shy wave that she returned, just as awkwardly.

Undyne gave a rough pat on the back. It was a unique experience seeing her in day-clothes for once. Her flowing red hair was left down, tight blue jeans covered her legs and she wore a fitted white tank top. Alphys was quite adorable, wearing a cute flowery pink dress that complimented her yellow scales perfectly.

“I’m glad you could come over,” Undyne gave a loud bark of a laugh.

“Y—Yes, t—thank you!” Alphy’s stuttered out.

“No, really, thank you guys! I’m so excited!” You replied, just as eager.

It was true; you couldn’t even remember the last time you hung out with a group of people.

“So… The human law force is after you.” Undyne, in true Undyne fashion, wasted no time getting straight to the point. She leaned against her white fridge, crossing her arms. You gave a stiff laugh, as her one good eye looked you over, Alphys fidgeting with her fingers in the corner.

“Yeah… I suppose so,” you replied, unsure of what to make of it.

“So, I thought it would be a pain to make it to the gym. And I hear Grillby’s has you on vacation time for a bit.”

You tilted your head at that comment; you weren’t even aware you had vacation time. He wasn’t planning on still paying you, was he?

“I’ve got a pretty large gym downstairs if you pop in tomorrow for training.” She looked away, her rough fingers tapping against the fridge loudly. If you didn’t know any better, you would say she was nervous.

You perked up at her words, giving an immediate response. “Of course! I would love to continue training here!” You had no idea what her gym was like, but if it was anything as severe as the living room you passed by, it was most likely equipped with the best.

She beamed at your words, her arm swinging over your shoulder as she gripped you into a side-hug, ruffling your hair. “Alright, Punk! I like that attitude!” She laughed loudly, rivaling Papyrus’s volume, before confidently stomping away. There was a beat of silence upon noticing that you and Alphys were the only ones remaining in the kitchen.

“Thank you,” she breathed out, her fingers still twitching amongst themselves. Before you could ask she continued, “s—she was worried you would back out. The media and…” Her sentence drifted off, ending short-handed. She took a deep breath to calm herself and you relaxed, patiently waiting.

“Y—you’re her only human client, so… She’s—She’s really trying her hardest!” Her gaze pulled away from her hands to look you in the eye. You couldn’t help but smile warmly at her words. With a sigh you leaned back onto the fridge where Undyne was moments ago.

“You won’t have to worry about that. She’s really helping me become a better person, whether she knows it or not.”

Alphys let out a shaky breath as she grinned. She opened her mouth to say more, but Undyne’s loud call for her interrupted the quiet moment. She rolled her eyes but kept a sweet smile, hurrying off to her girlfriend. You took the brief moment of alone time to close your eyes, enjoying the silence. It was peaceful; the feeling after so long seemed foreign but still comforting all the same.  

You pushed off the fridge door, ready to find the others. You managed to take one step forward before your ankles were snagged, your hands being cuffed back to the appliance. Your neck and forehead were caught and tightened back as well, leaving your only line of vision the doorway where Alphys had disappeared. The immediate fear was engulfing, shaking you to your very core as the unseen assailant continued to slither down. Your heart thumped loudly against your chest as you struggled to no avail.

Your eyeballs peeked downward, a flash of green teasing your line of vision. It was useless trying to turn your head; whatever was bound to your forehead tightened at every jerky movement. It bound your arms, legs and waist, twisting and tightening like a snake. You knew you should scream, you desperately wished to, but your voice was silenced, nothing but mute air escaped. Unable to voice anything you panicked, your heart racing painfully as you tried to steady your breathing, your gasps of air ringing in your ears.

Your body grew limp as you began to feel faint, your eyesight becoming hazy and dim through your short gasps of a panic attack. If it wasn’t for the tightly bound restraints, you would have collapsed to the floor.

The snake-like bindings twisted into the palm of your right hand, encircling your numbing fingers.

“ ** _Pathetic_**.”

You were losing consciousness; unsure if the words were someone else’s or your own muddled mind. A jolt of pain shivered up your fully constricted hand, it was small, but quickly shattered up your arm. You wanted to stay awake and aware, trying to cling to the pain, but your vision betrayed you, fading to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been too long since I've updated thanks to RL interruptions.  
> Next chapter should be out within the next two days! <3


	14. Chapter 14

 

Gray.

Nothing but gray covered your vision. Gray matter twisted, expanding around you as you stood, helpless and unmoving. Blobs rippled around you, muddles faces casting painful expressions formed in each gray glob, forming human imitations.

The world was dim. It held no meaning, no color, no taste nor smell, yet there you stood, materialized in an endless throng of human bodies. It was loud; or rather it should have been. You could see every detail of their screams and spews of words, spit falling from their angry lips, yet it was eerily silent.

Was this a dream? You couldn’t remember where you were or what happened, but this was unlike any dream you’d ever experienced.

A girl caught your eye, her expression just as forceful as the rest; her attention flickered to you but only in passing, taking in the people as well. It took several blinks before you recognized the girl was you.

You—No, **She,** grew bolder with each chant, watching with baited breath at the display on the stage. Immediately you knew what this was. You turned away so quickly your head spun, you were searching for an escape but there was none, the nameless bodies too tightly clustered to allow you to move. You didn’t want to see it anymore; your stomach churning as slowly, the sound returned.

It came in whispers, then multiplied at every clench at your soul, pleading for the nightmare to end. The screams reached a deafening roar, so loud you felt your skull would split. Your head turned without your command, forcing your eyes to look upon the scene. The monster… A Snowdrake you later learned, nervously smiled upon the crowd.

_Look away, look away_

**“What did you do?”**

It wasn’t you. The voice wasn’t you, because you knew what happened next.

_Look away, look—_

Sputtering you gasped for air, your eyes snapping open just in time to see Frisk enter through the doorway, their scream breaking the vision. Whatever held you released instantaneously, detaching painfully from your hand, leaving a slippery liquid to run freely. Regaining control of your neck you could now see it was your own blood running down, spilling onto the tiled floor.

Your body trembled against your will as you stumbled wearily onto the floor, hissing at the new wound when your hand instinctively caught your fall. Your head looked up just in time to see a flower pot shatter against the wall; the flower falling from it hissing and spitting wildly. You shrieked, crawling backwards from it, backing yourself against a cupboard, clutching your injured hand.

You were so distracted with the flower you hadn’t even noticed Sans presence, his bony fingers wrapping around the flowers stem, gripping it tight enough to strangle it. His left eye was aflame in blue, trickles of yellow and green slipped in, red beginning to dominate the others as his fingers tightened. The flower bit back in response, its roots trying to slither across Sans arms, thorns shredding into the arm of his jacket. You didn’t want to see this level of violence.

“Sans, stop!” Frisk begged, their voice cracked and raspy, worn from underuse, tears brimming their usually shinning eyes.

“Are you serious, Frisk? This isn’t a game anymore—“

“Sans,” you spoke, your voice steady despite your trembles, silencing the scuffle, “let it go.”

Your throat clenched, the colorless scene still ringing in your head as you swallowed dryly.

No one needed to be dusted.

He didn’t bother to look at you as he dropped the flower; he was disappointed with your response, possibly even disgusted. He walked out, letting the others come forward now that the situation was settled. Frisk was the first to reach the flower, gently picking it up by its roots. Even the plant refused to glance at the child, almost as if it was ashamed of itself.

Alphys inspected your hand while Papyrus whisper yelled kind words. His arms wrapped around your shoulders, comforting you while you shied away from the injury, hoping it wasn’t as bad as it seemed.

“Sans wasn’t trying to be mean,” he told you, rubbing your shoulder, “He was only worried about your well-being.”

Alphys had now taken a wet cloth to your hand, you watched from a distance as Undyne produced a similar clay pot for the flower from inside a cabinet. A glimmer of florescent light shined through just enough for you to see a dozen more like it.

“Does he hurt the flower often?”

Papyrus seemed hesitant to answer, watching the plant get situated in its new pot, unfazed.

“They often disagree, yes,” he settled. The child sniffled, signing to the difficult flower that held an unremorseful grimace.

“It’s a monster,” you stated. “Yes,” was his reply.

The flower met your gaze, his eyes narrowed at you. He knew. He saw. You felt as if you should have cared, or even worried that he would spout off what he witnessed, but that wasn’t the case.

_What did you do?_

The words weren’t spiteful, judging, or as hateful as they should have been upon seeing a glimmer of your past. It was asked as if you were telling a tale and he was simply curious, indifferent in whichever way the story could have gone.

“It’s not as bad as it looks, more blood than anything,” Alphys interrupted your thoughts, holding up the hand. She was right; the palm of your hand looked as if a large thorn had stuck itself into your skin, but other than minor scratches along your fingers, the damage was minimal.

“Let me help you, human,” Papyrus offered, taking your hand in his. You could feel the buzzing of his magic before it grazed your skin and you pulled away. The feeling was similar to Sans and you didn’t want a repeat.

“Thanks Paps, but I’d rather keep the wounds. Battle scars are pretty cool.”

His eyes shone at your bravery, Undyne piping up, “Damn straight!”

The doorbell rang, catching the girls’ attentions. You had forgotten all about the pizza, let alone Anime Night. While they wandered off to pay the delivery boy, Papyrus stayed dutifully by your side as the tension set in. Frisk, holding the flower, signed with one hand. Papyrus gave nod and they signed more.

“Human…. Frisk is asking what happened,” he translated.

“I—I’m not too sure,” you glanced at the plant but it seemed more interested in the walls.

Papyrus continued to translate, “Did you see things?”

Slowly, you nodded. Frisk didn’t ask anymore, but instead whispered an apology as they hurried out of the room.

Gently, Papyrus helped you to your feet, his voice still struggling to keep at a normal volume as he spoke. “Human, may I ask what you saw?”

You shook your head in reply, “I’d rather not talk about it.”

He didn’t push it further but simply nodded in acceptance. The power couple returned, holding five large pizzas, uncertainty riddled upon their faces.

“Are we still…?” Undynes question was left open ended and you gave a weak smile.

“Anime Night is still on,” you told them. You weren’t going to let a demon flower and a surprise flashback ruin a good night.

They cluttered the boxes amongst the countertops, Undyne cursing as she searched for plates while Alphys silently gave you a look, asking if you were really okay. You gave a curt nod before Undyne turned and shoved a paper plate in your good hand.

“Anyone wanna crack open a beer tonight?” Her question was open for all but her yellow eye focused on you as she spoke. Instinct said you wanted one, but the memories of your last drink spoke for you instead. “No thanks, maybe next time.”

She shrugged, passing one to Alphys before handing you and Papyrus a soft drink. You helped Papyrus fix a plate for Frisk and his brother before grabbing a slice of cheese pizza for yourself. You were no longer hungry but felt the need to at least try. “To the movie watching room!” Papyrus yelled, as you shoved a soda in your arm. Holding a plate for Frisk, you followed Paps down a hallway and into the next room.

The ‘movie watching’ room was just as overwhelming as the living room. It was essentially a large bedroom turned into a mini-cinema. The screen was as tall as Papyrus and far spread along the wall, surround sound speakers mounted strategically against the walls of the room. Cushy red loveseat couches were arranged like theatre aisles, cup holders indented into their armrests, twin fluffy black couch pillows adorned each aisle for comfort. You couldn’t help but feel in awe at their house and its extreme dedication to what they loved.

Papyrus stopped abruptly, blocking your way to the front. Glancing past him you saw the issue at hand; Frisk, huddled in a corner of the couch at the front right aisle, was signing to the small plant. The petals turned towards you as the flower gave a harsh hiss in your direction before being shook back into an angry conversation with the child. Sensing that you didn’t want to deal with the plant, he switched plates, exchanging Sans for Frisk’s.

To the left in the second aisle laid Sans; although sprawled out on the small couch, his eyes were strained, watching the petals that peeked over above the couch up front. He didn’t say a word, let alone glance at you as set his plate on the couch cushion. You simmered, standing there waiting for a response you knew you weren’t going to receive.

Picking up one of the fluffed pillows, you gave it a sharp throw, hoping to knock some literal sense into his head. He was either too tired, too lazy, or too concentrated to even bother blocking, the pillow smacking against his face with a hard, but satisfying, thwump.

With a scowl he tore it off, throwing it back just as hard. Easily catching it, you gave him a smug grin that was quickly knocked off your face when an unseen pillow hit the back of your head. He snickered as you swung around to accuse Papyrus, who stood innocently holding up his hands along with Frisk, and oddly enough the flower.

“Ow, Sans, you little shit!” You yelled as another pillow struck your back with hard force. You picked it up, holding onto it as you aimed to hit his legs; right as the pillow went to make contact he popped out of thin air. Before you could curse at his cheating you were pushed forward onto the couch, your hand, still sore, pressing painfully against the fabric from your weight. His cackle was cut short, seeing you wince as you turned over.

Plopping down on the cushion next you, he held out his hand, waiting patiently. Pursing your lips, you gave him your hand to look over. He sighed, turning the hand over in his, mimicking the movements of when it was just the two of you back in his bedroom.

“Stupid flower,” the words quietly hissing through his teeth as his finger traced along the scratches, avoiding the puncture in your palm.

“She’s keeping them as battle scars!” Papyrus proudly announced, beaming at you both. You gave Sans a sheepish grin as his eyes slid back to you; if the lights of his eyes could spell out words you were certain ‘STUPID’ would flash before you now.

“Really?” He drawled, releasing your hand as Undyne and Alphys made their way inside.

“Alright, lets’ get this started!” Undyne shouted, punching her fist in the hair. Alphys fished for her phone, tapping away at the screen. The lights dimmed immediately, the TV clicking on, the screen showing a pink-haired girl at a menu screen.

While they took their seats at the front row, he got up, taking his plate as he moved to the couch behind you. You swallowed down the unsettling feeling in your stomach as you watched him leave. You watched as Papyrus ruffled the small kid’s hair, a giggle emitting from them. You felt relieved seeing a smile upon their face again. Despite the still grumbling flower in their arms, they snuggled closer to it, sharing small bites of pizza. You had mixed emotions at what you felt would normally be an adorable moment.

To your surprise, Papyrus slid next to you with a bright grin that you couldn’t help but return, relaxing as the show started. The show was colorful, friend-positive and bright in outlook and messages. It was perfect for kids, but still entertaining for adults. Papyrus, Frisk and Alphys alike gasped every time a ‘bad guy’ managed to get the upper-hand on the heroine, and cheered whenever she succeeded, albeit clumsily.

Although it was enjoyable, your mind kept drifting off to the scene from before, making it difficult to concentrate and keep the excitement the others shared for each new episode. You kept glancing around the room, taking in your surroundings as if anything could jump out at any moment. After a while Papyrus had caught on, and now snuggled you close in hopes to calm your nerves. It was a sweet gesture, but didn’t help, your eyes still darting around after each episode to see if anything changed.

Your half a slice of pizza remained untouched; you had tried to stomach it but it was too bland, almost as if it had no taste, despite how appealing it looked. Alphys and Undyne were cuddling upfront, Frisk was still hugging the plant tightly; even the flower had dropped the pretense of being uninterested and was actively watching, eyes wide at the screen before it. Your eyes darted back to the television just in time to see the magical girl finish the fight scene. Papyrus gave a small pout as you pulled away from his bony shoulder as the credits rolled.

“Bathroom break,” you told him with a wink. With instructions from Alphys you left the room, urging them to continue without you; it was only two doors down, you wouldn’t take long. Although it was true you needed to pee, you also needed a break alone, and thankfully the bathroom was a good excuse for some solidarity.

Washing your hands, you splashed some water against your face in an attempt to liven yourself up. Few of your cuts still stung against the soap but it was dull enough to ignore the pain. Although it was nothing, the cuts along your fingers trailing up past your wrist was a sight for sore eyes. If anyone else saw they’d assume something different was going on with you. You hated to admit it, but maybe you should ask Sans to work his magic.

“Hey, you doin’ okay in there?”

The knock at the door caused you to jump, your hand jolted, twisting the running water off.

“Yeah! Sorry, I’ll be right out,” you called, drying your hands hastily on a fluffy white hand towel. You were too rough in your haste, a pink stain rubbing off on the fabric from reopening a cut.

“Fucking hell,” you spat out, throwing it in the sink. You were silent, glaring at the towel as if it had personally wronged you. You needed to calm down, but your own emotions threatened to overflow. You didn’t want to leave the isolated room just yet, but you knew if you stayed away too long the others would come running.

Forcing a smile on your face you twisted the doorknob, swinging the door open. “It’s all yours,” you told him, moving out of the way of the doorway. He leaned against the opposing wall, his hands shoved in his jacket pockets, the one right sleeve still torn.

“You that _torn_ up about it?” He joked, noticing your stare. You frowned, unimpressed. “I’m about as _cut up_ about it as you are,” you retorted. He gave a small snort and you let out a laugh that died too soon, the awkward silence settling in.

“So… Battle scars, huh?”

You rolled your eyes, “not a fan of them or something?” He shrugged, pushing off the wall, “Nah, they’re pretty cool on Undyne.” His eyes flickered to your hand, then back to your face. “But not on me?” You questioned. He didn’t answer, turning away as he headed back to the movie room. You let it drop, following him back.

Poor Papyrus had fallen asleep waiting for you to return, snoozing away peacefully where you once were, completely covering the small couch with his tall stature. You could see Frisk was now laying completely on their couch as well, the clay pot snuggled close to their face. Silently, Sans tugged on your jacket and you followed, taking a seat next to him. You weren’t sure why he suddenly wanted to sit next to you now, but you weren’t going to argue it.

Once again you tried to focus on the main character on the screen, but it was useless. Your eyes were drawn away, occasionally peeking over to Sans who seemed to be having a difficult time paying attention as well. He tapped against the cushion, then his leg, then his arm.

His eye caught yours and you tried not to laugh. He pulled out his phone, tapping away at it.

**Tibiahonest, I don’t like the battle scars**

You snickered. Thankfully something funny happened on screen at the right moment causing the two up front to chuckle at the same moment. You plucked the phone from his hands, erasing the message to type back a reply.

**I may also be telling a fibula**

You mentally apologized to Grillby, ashamed that you fell so far to be caught up in this skeletons pun-craze.

Seeing his cheeky grin at your response melted away the guilt; he was truly enjoying your steady fall to his level. He brought the bright phone screen to your face.

**Can I?**

He pointed at the hand and you hesitated, biting your lip.

No, it wouldn’t be like last time, you knew what to expect now.

“Yeah,” you whispered, sliding your hand in his. His eye sockets grew wide, you assumed in surprise at how easy it was to ‘convince’ you.

His other hand buzzed, coming alive in its blue hue; thankfully you were in the furthest couch in the back, the only parties left awake were too close to the bright TV to take notice. You watched intently as he gently traced along the cuts, your skin rapidly mending, invisibly sewing itself shut.

It was hypnotizing, the tingle of magic caressing your skin as you watched your wounds magically heal before your eyes. The way his fingertips brushed against your skin made it seem like he thought you could break at any moment; he was slow, methodical, allowing you to turn your hand for him as if he was worried his grip would be too rough. He circled your palm with a frown; the only injury that seemed unwilling to reseal was scab at the center where a particularly large thorn had pieced directly into you.

“Interesting,” he murmured, as he led your hand closer to his face, inspecting it. You opened your mouth to tell him not to worry when he pressed the palm against his mouth, mimicking a kiss. Your fingertips brushing against the side of his skull, his eyes locked on yours. Your stomach knotted under the predatory gaze, your throat suddenly uncomfortably dry. His trembling magic twisted into your arm, the chill of it causing your shoulders to shiver for a brief moment before heat mixed in, your chest swelling at the pleasurable sensation of the two temperatures melding into one.

It took everything in your willpower to pull away, your breathing ragged as you tried to settle from your high. You looked over your hand, the puncture gone as if it had never happened.

“Did you really have to—“

Looking up from your hand you froze; his eyes had now narrowed threateningly, his head turned towards the front, staring daggers into the couch where the plant resided. His hand sparked and sizzled in magic as a growl vibrated from his chest.

“Hey, it’s okay, it’s better now, see,” you tried to keep your voice low, holding up the hand.

“No,” he snapped, “You don’t—“

You flinched back from the angry sparks, his glare breaking away upon noticing the unstable magic.

“You don’t get it,” he exhaled roughly, trying to calm himself before you, “You wouldn’t understand.”

The anger of his words burned at you. Sure, you didn’t fully grasp what had happened, but you had a feeling it was similar to what he pulled on you before.

“You mean like what I felt, what happened, when you reached for me?”

He stopped short, the surprise at your words quickly masked as he rounded on you, backtracking.

“That was different—“

“It was the same thing, wasn’t it?”

The lights clicked on, silencing his next words. Alphys and Undyne stood up, the tall fish monster cracking her back, stretching from sitting so long. Papyrus groggily sat up, rubbing his eyes at the bright light. It seemed Anime Night had come to an end.

“We’ll talk about this later,” you muttered, getting off the couch. With a sigh you hugged an oblivious Papyrus. “Why hello to you too, Human,” his loud and confused words gave you relief, and you laughed, pulling away.

“Alright Nerds, your ride has arrived,” Undyne yawned while Alphys held up her smartphone, revealing a text conversation from Tori. Papyrus scooped up the slumbering child, making sure to keep the plant with them. Sans walked ahead, following his brother closely as they headed out.

Toriel waved from her white mini-van, opening the back door for Papyrus to seat Frisk without waking them. She wore an elegant black dress, the white gold necklace shimmering against the porch light. She must had gone somewhere fancy for her ‘non-date’ date.

“Oh, by the way,” Alphys’s soft voice stopped you at the front door, and you turned. “I um… I uh…” She fidgeted under your gaze.

“Oh my god,” Undyne growled, stuffing a box in your hand. “Take it, you nerd. Text me tomorrow,” she snapped, stomping off.

Confused, you blinked at the black box, opening it before the still stuttering yellow lizard. You gasped at the shiny silver smartphone in your hands, immediately trying to hand it back. She held up her hands in protest, stuttering, “N—No! It’s yours!”

“This is too much,” you told her, glancing back down at the sleek screen.

“It was nothing, really! I’ve made so many phones now it’s like second nature,” she gave a nervous chuckle.

“Wait, wait, you made this?” You gasped, holding tighter to the precious box.

“Y—Yes!” Her eyes shone as she delved into her work, “It has our numbers programmed, all the latest social media apps, tracking features, now the camera is better than Frisks, so don’t tell them that—“

“Come now, human,” Papyrus sleepily groaned, tugging the back of your jacket. You were pretty sure this was his way of being respectful, seeing as how he could easily throw you over his shoulder.

“Okay, okay,” you let out an exasperated sigh before returning to the blushing monster, “thank you so much Alphys. I’ll text you guys first thing in the morning.”

You let Papyrus drag you back to the car, and you hopped up front, taking a closer look at Toriel as she adjusted the review mirror.

“Enjoy your date?” You asked as she pulled out of the driveway. She didn’t say anything, but you giggled at the blush spreading across her features. “Well, I’m glad you had fun,” you said quietly, turning to look out the window. The stars were bright tonight, twinkling in the dark sky. You were so distracted by their beauty you hadn’t even realized you had arrived back at the house.

Frisk didn’t wake at all, even with Tori gently lifting them out of the car. Papyrus’s sockets sagged, the late night getting to him as he slowly made his way to his bedroom. Sans didn’t stick around for long, tossing his torn jacket on the couch before disappearing as well.

You followed inside, plopping onto the couch unsure of what to do now, the box still in your hands. You weren’t tired in the least; sleeping the day away had really screwed up your schedule, and it didn’t help that right about now you would typically be working away at the bar.

“You’re not going to sleep with Papyrus?” Her soft voice floated down from the top of the stairwell, catching your attention. You wondered if the child even woke when she set them in bed.

“Not that tired,” you stood up, looking over the shelves of books. The TV didn’t really appeal to you after a night of staring at one, but maybe a book could distract your mind.

“Is it okay…?”

“Of course, my child. Let me make you some tea before I head off to bed.”

Your fingers brushed over the bindings of the books, scanning through the dozens of names before landing on something familiar; History of Monsters.

You slid it off the shelf with interest, settling comfortably into the couch. The history of monsters was so muddled in the media you weren’t sure what was true and what was fiction anymore, so what better way to find out than their own textbooks. It wasted no time, immediately delving into the ancient war between humans and monsters, how the monsters retreated deep into the mountain side, fearful for their lives.

Toriel set the cup in front of you as you reached the text about New Home. You couldn’t help but think New Grillbys was a jab at its terrible name. “Thank you,” you smiled, taking the hot cup. She peered over at your chosen reading material, a crease forming across her brow.

You closed the book, setting it down, forgetting where you left off and distracted by the worry on her face. “Please, don’t stop,” she told you in a hushed tone, “You should know what happened. What we, as a race, have done.”

She left you with the ambiguous sentence, leaving in the door behind her. Seconds ticked by; suddenly you weren’t sure if you wanted to know the truth. You pulled out your new phone, unboxing it and clicking it on.

The start-up was quick, a basic background as your wallpaper. The time was 11:25. Grillbys was still open; he didn’t close till 1 on Saturday Nights.

You tapped against the phone, debating your next move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god. This chapter took me forever, I kept writing and writing... I just couldn't find a good place to stop! Dx  
> BUT I FINALLY DID IT.  
> I really hope you enjoy it! <3  
> As always thank you for the comments! You're all so encouraging <3


	15. The Cosmos

You shivered under the cold gust, clutching the thick blue fabric tighter around your body, making sure the hood tucked just well enough over your head to cover your face. You passed few pedestrians, none particularly caring to stare at you. You probably looked like a boy; Sans over-sized jacket hid your curves well, the hem of it ending just past your butt, the sleeves reaching the ends of your fingertips.

Dipping past a couple, drunk and leaving the bar, you slipped inside. The sweet smell of grease and smoke tingled your nose; you happily breathed it in welcoming the feeling of home. Several monsters turned their heads at the bright hoodie, but looked away, uninterested at your clearly human legs.

An orange, incredibly bored looking, cat monster, seemed to be taking over your shift for the night, a lit cigarette lolled in his mouth. He seemed uninterested at everything around him, sitting at the bar with his hand keeping his head propped up. He didn’t bother greeting you like you normally would for a new customer, instead his eyes followed as you made your way to the bar.

You gave him a wink as you slid into the barstool next to him. Flustered, he sucked in too hard on the cig. It burned away, ashes falling as he jerked, turning around too quickly to cough out a ball of smoke. Ignoring his embarrassment, you swiveled around to watch Grillby saunter over from the other side of the bar.

His flames flickered higher as he approached, catching the sight of your face under the brim of the hood. You grinned brightly, hoping to show the enthusiasm that his flames radiated with.

“Hey Boss,” you shivered as you grew closer, the warmth of his flames shying away the brisk cold that still lingered on your skin. His flames lowered, his voice a low husk, “what are you doing here?”

You frowned at the tone of his voice, the worry that hid in the shadows of his flames. You pouted, tapping away at the sleek countertop. “You really think you can keep me away from this place?”

He let out a sigh in response, "No, I suppose not." He picked up a shot glass, giving it a clean wipe of his white rag before setting it gently atop the bar counter. The monster at your side pressed gently against your shoulder, leaning in as he whispered, “So, you’re the chick they’ve been talkin’ about?”

“Mhm,” you replied, watching Grillby carefully pop off a bottle of sparkling blue liquid. You loved watching the bar master at work; it was a calming focus in the hustle and bustle of the room around him.

“I made a new drink,” his flames crackled softly as he stirred in a hint of gold. The liquid spun round in the glass, jet-black ink trickling where the gold once glimmered, swallowing the color whole. You crinkled your nose at it and Grillby chuckled. He tapped the flames of his forefinger against the cusp of the glass.

Once.

Twice.

Third time was the charm, a brilliant shower of small lights springing forth, a deep blue swirling in the glass. You gasped at the sudden beauty of it and he held it up for you to take. Each light twinkled, imitating a star’s shine; some stilled in certain places while others gently swayed with the solution, small galaxies seeming to form before your very eyes. Watching the stars swirl, you began to forget the main reason why you decided to come.

You saw your hand reach for the glass before your mind could register that it had moved at all. You were drawn in by its beauty, wanting to bring it closer to further explore the depths of this magical galaxy.

His hand pulled back, tsk’ing as he did so. You couldn’t help but puff your cheeks out at his response, your hand falling and slapping against the counter, unsatisfied. The feline snorted, snuffing out his cigarette in a nearby ashtray before helping a customer three tables down.

“Where’s Sans?”

The question threw you off guard and you sat up straight, pulling back your arm; although it was hard to see his gaze, you were certain he noticed the holes riddled in the jacket.

“Will I get the drink if I answer?”

He hummed, swaying it before you. You struggled to keep still as he sloshed it dangerously close to spilling. You were almost ashamed at how absurd you were acting, but curiosity coursed through your veins like a drug; you had to know what tasting the cosmos was like.

“Yes.”

“At his house,” you almost stuttered out ‘our’ house in your haste to answer. Your eyes followed the glass, still wrapped around his fingers.

“Slacking on the job I see,” He grumbled, setting the glass to the back as his spare hand reached in his pant pockets. “Job?” You asked, but he didn’t bother answer, flipping the older phone open and pressing it to what you assumed must be his ear. It was hard to tell in all the flame.

“Grillby, you can’t be serious,” you struggled to keep the agitation in your voice low, hoping no one heard you.

“Sans!” The bartender chuckled, his flames puffing up, a smile wisped on his face that quickly turned sour, “ **You’re fired**.” The phone snapped shut loudly, catching a few customer’s attentions, but they quickly resumed chatting. There was a pause as Grillby silently pocketed it, then crossed his arms as if waiting for something.

_“Why hello there, sugar.”_

You shivered at the proximity of the whisper, his chin resting on your shoulder as his arms snaked around you. You glared at the man in flames, cursing him for snitching on you.

“Goodbye, Grillby,” he sang, gripping you tightly. You gave a defiant squeal, gripping the countertop with all your strength. No, You couldn't leave just yet. you needed to focus.

“No, Sans,” you hissed, “Let go of me, **_now_**.”

For a moment you thought he obeyed, clumsily releasing you, until a shaky arm snaked around your shoulders. You glanced between the two, Sans rubbing his shoulder. He wore nothing but sweats and a t-shirt, his bare arms catching attention of the regulars. Only now did they take a good look at the jacket you wore, recognizing it.

“I believe the lady said no,” his voice trembled as badly as his arm, but you had to commend his bravery.

Sans let out a snort, “this doesn’t involve you. Move along, Burgerpants.”

You squinted at the skeleton in confusion, looking over the nervous cat. You didn’t quite get the insult but he seemed unfazed by it nonetheless. The two stared intensely at each other, gathering onlookers at the possible fight. Wordlessly Sans held his hand out to you. You knew if you took it you’d be thrown back into the living room, and that was the last thing you wanted. You gave it a hard look before shrugging off the cat monsters arm, hopping off the bar stool. As much as you hated to admit it, it was time to go. You would have to return under less eye-catching circumstances.

For a brief moment a smug grin spread wide on Sans face, believing that you were going to hop into his arms, but you turned away, giving the brave monster a whisper of thanks in his ear before making your leave. You didn’t want to hang around for long if the police still hope to question you.

“A deals a deal, Grillby,” You reminded him, “I expect that drink next time.”

“Of course.”

You rolled your eyes at his obvious amusement, the door jingling shut behind you. You made it four steps past the building before Sans popped into view.

“You know, that wasn’t very _chill_ of you,” his voice low, brewing with anger.

“Would you believe me if I said I _froze_ up in there?”

“With it getting so _heated_?” He shrugged, stopping in front of you. A tired sense of humor stretched on his features, his sockets etching in those deep circles. You wondered how often he seemed to be on the brink of exhaustion.

“You okay?”

“I will be if you just let me take you home.” He gave a drained sigh that was interrupted by a gust of cold air, his bones shuddering against it. You slid the thick jacket off your arms, ready to hand it over when he held up a boney hand.

“Let’s make a deal,” he rushed out, desperate to return to warmth.

“I’m listening.”

“First, why did you trek it to Grillby’s?”

You gave him a look, holding out the jacket once more at another cold breeze blew over. When he still didn’t accept you huffed impatiently. “I wanted a few questions answered,” you admitted.

“Let me take you home and I’ll answer the questions.”

Somehow you found the prospect hard to believe, but with him shivering and refusing his jacket you felt inclined to accept any deal just to get him out of the cold.

“Deal?”

His teeth chattered, and for a split second you felt as if you were being played. His hand held out, waiting for you to grasp it.

“Deal,” you groaned, grasping the icy bones. He yanked hard, pulling you in close as he lifted you off the ground without warning. You barely managed to shut your eyes as you were teleported for the third time today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly shorter chapter than my recent ones, but that just means a quicker update for the next one!


	16. Q&A

You were getting better at this.

He dropped you, steady on your feet, before diving face first into his bed. You started to laugh, but halted, the room swaying ever-so-slightly. Maybe you weren’t doing as great as you thought. He paused his rolling around to watch you carefully, as if he were ready to catch you at any moment. Giving him a reassuring thumbs-up, you curled the jacket against you as you took a seat on the floor, trying to ignore the crinkle of paper you sat on.

“So.” The simple word buzzed with curiosity and he rolled over, facing the wall as he gave a tired grunt in reply.

Your excitement dulled as the seconds passed; maybe it was best to leave him be.

You chewed at your cheek, taking a look around; the room was far too dark to really make out anything of interest. Your ears perked up for a moment as he took a steady breath, but instead he gently sighed it out, a light snore reaching your ears.

Inwardly, you scoffed; Monsters and their deals. You knew you should’ve been a little peeved, but you let the emotion roll off you. You would just get him later; it wasn’t that big of a deal.

Plastic clung to your wrist as you stood up as quietly as possible. Annoyed, you plucked it off your skin, only to hear another crinkle that clung to your legs. Then another. Seriously how much trash did this monster manage to accumulate in such a small space?

In all the huffing and frustration, you didn’t even hear the skeleton roll back over, his snoozing silenced.

 “You’re so loud,” he chuckled. Your jaw tightened, holding back a response, torn between giving an apology or giving sass for such a trashy room. You were tugged backwards by an unseen force, lightly bouncing against the mattress as you fell into it. His jacket that you were holding fell to the floor, adding to the ever growing pile of mess. 

“Rude,” you muttered, but he ignored you, turning back around to face the wall.

“Ask away, darling. It’s now…” He let out a yawn mid-speech, “Or never.”

You kicked off your shoes before laying on the bed next to him, your eyes fixated on the ceiling.

“So… You stole my stuff back.”

There was a pause, and for a moment you thought he fell asleep again.

“S’not a question, darlin’,” he mumbled into the pillow.

You rolled your eyes in the darkness, your lips tugging upward.

“Okay, fine. So… When do I go back to work?”

As he thought over the answer, you tugged on the blanket, situating yourself under its warmth. It was uncomfortable with the layer of clothes, but you would have to deal with it.

“Probably in a few days. Maybe a week, tops.”

Another beat of silence.

“Are you going to talk to the police?”

“I thought I was the one asking questions,” you teased. You hoped he didn’t see that you were avoiding a question you didn’t know the answer to. He gave a mocking scoff, but you felt the tension ease just a bit.

“Do I have vacation days?”

He huffed, sitting up, “Is it all about work?”

“Yes. No. Maybe. Just answer the question,” you shot back, flustered under his gaze.

“Of course you have vacation days. You probably have a _work-load_ of them, since you didn’t use them immediately after being hired.”

You couldn’t hold back your bewildered snort, laughing at his sarcasm.

“As if that is even possible.” He gave a lazy grin in return, wiggling his brow bone at you. You gasped, sitting up straight now, “You didn’t.”

“I did not.” He confirmed, yet the sly smile still hung on his face. “I like to save mine for a rainy day. However…” He slid back down to the bed, laying on his side to face you, “Your brave little cat did.”

You felt your face flush; did he think you were into cat? Nervously you laughed, thankful for the darkness.  

“So, wait, he’s my co-worker?”

“Yeah. He hired him after you I think? I don’t remember all the details, but he used up about two months’ worth of paid vacation.”

“Whoa,” You breathed back in awe. You had a co-worker you didn’t even know existed, let alone at least two months of paid vacation at your fingertips. You wriggled uncomfortably, the jacket becoming a burden. Grumbling, you pulled it off, tossing it in a darkened corner. You wondered about taking off your bra; was it too forward?

It was probably too forward.

Settling back down, you pulled the blankets up again, sighing into its warmth. You glanced at the skeleton, who was unusually silent. The lights in his eye sockets emitted a soft glow, a tender smile catching your breath.

His eyes were trained on your face, staring long enough to make you squirm. You forced your eyes back up, nervously trying to ignore him. You had to remind yourself that he was just curious, that was all. You couldn’t remember if Paps studied your face, you were sure he did, you just couldn’t remember if you were so bothered by it.

You racked your brain, trying to form another question, to pull yourself out of the nervous silence. You had a million ten minutes ago, but under his gaze you seemed to have forgotten everything but your name.

“You doin’ okay there?”

His voice shook you from your thoughts and you gave a nervous smile, “Yeah, just thinking.” He hummed, his fingers brushing against your hand. Your felt your heart stutter and you shied away from his touch. You needed to calm down; sure you were in his bed, but he was a skeleton. He was just curious, that was all! You and Papyrus slept together just fine, Sans was probably just as naive as his brother.

“S—So, how do you guys like the surface?”

Sans, sensing your unease, scooted away, leaning back into the bed to stare at the ceiling with you.

“I can’t even begin to describe it,” his voice so low that the crickets chirping outside were louder than him.

You smiled, feeling the tension ease away. No monster could resist describing their first experience aboveground.

“Y’know… The books, the shows, nothing could ever accurately describe the warmth of the morning sun.”

He stopped short, debating his next words, “ _Tibia-honest_ …. I figured it’d probably feel a lot like Grillby—“

A startled laugh escaped your throat causing him to sputter in embarrassment. You had heard many monsters talk of the beauty of the sun, but none had dared compare it to the bar master. You tried to control yourself but only laughed harder as his cheeks begun to dust in blue.

“Sorry, sorry!” You yelped as he stuffed a pillow over your face. The laughter died down shortly after and you scooched closer, your forehead mere inches from his. His eyes grew wide at the sudden proximity, earning him a coy smile from your lips.

“Tell me more,” you encouraged, still breathless. His eyes sparkled, reminding you of the twinkling stars, the blue hue deepening in color before beginning to fade.

He continued, describing the beauty in its rays, the blades of grass that swayed at his shoes, the wind that caught against his jacket. He grinned, telling of his brothers’ joy upon seeing a blue clouded sky, how the sight of a bird brought tears to Paps socket, how Undyne joyously suplexed every boulder on the way down the mountain. Each monster had their own version, but none of them could paint the picture quite like Sans.

The way he went into detail about the smallest things twisted your stomach into knots. Did he still see the world with such interest? You wondered if the beauty still held after three years, if they weren’t deterred by the hate and smog of big cities.

“Do you still find it beautiful?” Your quiet voice stopped him as he told of the first city they encountered.

His smile faltered for a moment, only to relax. He gave you a look, the one you caught him giving you often, as if he could see directly into you. Yet something about this was whole-heartedly different; you weren’t as fearful as you normally were. Your breath caught in your throat, your stomach coiling under his gaze. You weren't used to this feeling; This was a different kind of fear.

“Every day has been more breathtaking than the last.”


	17. Distractions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick little update! More to come in the next couple of days <3

 

You didn’t remember falling asleep, all you could recall was Sans explaining the subtle differences between a Cat-Dog and a Hot Dog, neither of them sounding particularly appealing. It must have been so boring and in-differential that you drifted off to sleep.

You weren’t sure what exactly woke you up, possibly the noise of someone else stumbling outside, or possibly Sans arm. He had it snaked around your waist, pulling you close to him, his head pressing into your chest. Gulping down the sudden dryness in your throat, you tried to detach yourself from the clinging skeleton. It was useless, the action only causing his fingers to dig into your hips and lower back, clutching tightly. His bones began to shake, his arm trembling against your skin as he let out a strangled gasp for air.

All shyness vanished, concern filling the gap; something was wrong.

“Sans?” You whispered softly, but he didn’t reply, worrying you further as another strong tremor racked his body. His grip tightened, his face pushing farther into your chest almost painfully as he whimpered.

The noise; that’s what woke you. He was having a nightmare.

His magic fizzled and popped in your ears, his fingers buzzing with it as they dug into your flesh, yet it was nothing like before. This magic pinched at your skin, sending sparks of pain that forced a hiss between your teeth.

“Sans,” you begged, louder this time. Your hand twisted around, meeting the side of his ribcage. You gripped at his bones, praying it wasn’t too hard. You weren’t sure how gentle his bones were, but the pain was becoming too much. Touching him seemed to be the wrong answer; his buzzing magic enveloping you.

You held back a strangled scream as you flew upwards, your head smacking into the ceiling. You tried to remain calm as you were held suspended above the bed, glowing in blue. Sans cried out, clutching his skull; even from this distance you could see he was sweating profusely.

Was this his true magic? It coiled tightly around you, grazing against your cheeks, a dull headache beginning to rise in the back of your head. The thought that he was capable of doing this in his sleep was chilling, but you had to remain calm.

“Sans,” you gulped down the shaky breath as you called to him, “Sans, sweetie…”

His sockets popped open, empty yet filled with despair, he stilled. You heard several items clatter to the floor, and for a moment you panicked, thinking you held the same fate. You fell with a jolt, his magic gently catching you for a brief moment, making the landing soft and plush upon the mattress.

With your stomach still settling from the sudden drop, you scrambled to push yourself up. He whispered a strangled apology, but as you raised your head to meet his, he was gone. You wasted no time throwing yourself off the bed, your heels burning as you slid too rough and fast against the carpet to open the door.

With a cry of surprise, you forcibly held your body back from ramming into the small, oblivious, child.

“Frisk,” your voice still ragged from shock.

They yawned, rubbing the sleep out of their eyes with the sleeve of their green pajama set. Blatantly ignoring the yellow flower, you peered over them to take a look over the railing; Sans wasn’t in the living room either.

Where was he? Was he alright?

Frisk tugged on the hem of your tank top and you looked down, blinking the worrying thoughts away. With a warm smile, they gave a small wave of ‘good morning’.

“Good morning,” you returned, feeling anything but good. You clutched your wrist tightly; your fingers still shaking.

Without warning, the child thrust the flower before you, your body flinching back as you finally looked it in its eyes.

“Uh…?”

The flower spat out a sigh, its small leafs curling in irritation.

“Howdy. I’m Flowey, Flowey the flower,” his childish voice gritty with distaste. Frisk gave him a small shake, and he continued, “Whatever, Frisk! I’m sorry, okay?!”

First Sans, now this. Something told you today wasn’t going to be easy.

You were most likely expected to accept the apology, to say it was nothing, but your mouth clamped shut. Remaining silent, you kept your distance; you weren’t sure if you could trust being anywhere near a flower ever again.

Frisk, disheartened at your lack of response, trotted back into their bedroom with the plant. “What does it even matter?!” It screamed from their room

 Frisk returned, the flower gone, replaced with their erase board.

**_Breakfast?_** They held up, uncertain.

“Of course, Frisky,” you let out a tired sigh but smiled for the kid.

To your relief they opted for cereal this time. The small child ran about, getting water and a mug as you collected bowls and milk. You were surprised, watching as they spooned in pre-ground coffee beans into a coffee maker before flipping a switch.

They scribbled down on the white board, pointing at the coffee maker before holding up the sign.

**_Sans likes it too_ **

So Sans drank something other than ketchup.

You giggled to yourself for a moment before thinking back to Sans, alone in his bedroom. Was he okay? You were so blindsided by Frisk and the yellow demon that you momentarily forgot your desperate search for him.

For the second time Frisk had to pull on your shirt to snap you out of your thoughts causing you to glance down at the adorable child. Impatient, they gave a tap at their open mouth that you couldn’t help but laugh at.

“Oh, sorry, Frisky!”

You handed them the bowl of cereal, warning them to be careful and not to spill on the way to the dining room. With an understanding nod they walked away, a little more rushed than you wanted. You waited for the pot to finish, pouring yourself a steaming cup of coffee before following.

Frisk peeked up at you as you took a seat, but quickly resumed stirring their spoon in their half-eaten cereal. Compared to yesterday they were lackluster in energy.

“What’s up, kid?” You asked, your spoon clinking loudly against the bowl as you dropped it. They glared at the erase board as they jutted down a reply;

**_Flowey._ **

You chewed at your bottom lip, unsure on how to proceed. Lucky for you, Frisk seemed to have too much pent up frustration to even notice, continuing to hastily write on the board.

**_He scared you_ **

**_He saw into your soul_ **

**_He wasn’t_ **

Frustrated they erased the unfinished sentence with their sleeve.

**_I ha_ **

**_I’m so_ **

“Frisk,” you spoke softly, stopping their scribbling hand. Tears brimmed their eyes, but they sniffled and wiped them away before they could fall. They gave one last sentence.

**_What did he see?_ **

Now it was your turn to stare into the bowl of cereal. It was slowly turning to mush as it sat uneaten, becoming more and more unappetizing. Still, you took a bite. It was unlike you to waste good food, especially since you weren’t used to having it so often.

“My past,” as you spoke, the trip to the past became more and more real. A part of you had hoped it was some weird dream, that it would all be forgotten and dropped, but it wasn’t that easy.

**_Was it something you feared_ **

“Yes.”

**_Talk to Flowey_ **

You gave a hollow laugh, but their stoney expression didn’t change. It unsettled you; for such a small child they held such an eerily serious look in their eye.

**_Trust me_ **

You stood up, what little appetite you did have was now gone.

“I’ll think about it.”

You would. Just not now. Frisk didn’t argue, but simply followed your moves, hovering by your side as you went through the motions of cleaning up after yourselves.

You could see the moment an idea popped into their head, their eyes widening, a sly grin forming in silence.

“Yes?” You giggled, finished with your task. They seemed to have pepped back up, lightly bouncing on their heels as if in a rush. They took your hand, nearly dragging up the stairs only to stop at Papyrus’s door. They brought their finger to their lips, in a hushing motion.

The childs excitement buzzed over to you, and you giddily nodded. Quietly, the two of you snuck inside to see a still snoozing Papyrus, his loud snoring filling the void of silence. Frisk made a motion towards the unsuspecting skelly, directing the two of you to pounce, yet held up their hand.

You stared at the three tiny fingers before you, an evil gleam in their eyes as they lowered it to two. In a flash they dropped it to one, their arm swinging wildly as a signal to attack.

Frisk hit first, jumping atop your prey, sending him into a frenzy. You bounced against the bed with a laugh, as he let out a startled “NYEH,” the child squirming to pin him down.

“OH NO,” he cried as you tried not to breathe through your laughter, “I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE BEEN CAPTURED!!” His voice, although loud, was almost hard to hear under you and Frisk’s frantic laughing.

“PLEASE, TELL ME HUMANS. WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WISH,” he didn’t struggle against Frisk’s feeble attempt to trap him, making it all the more endearing.

“Oh, I don’t know… What do you think, boss?”

The child giggled, giving the skeleton a smug smile as they laid across their chest. Sitting up, their hands gave a quick sign.

“Park? WHY OF COURSE, AN EASY TASK FOR THE GREAT, AND CAPTIVE, PAPYRUS!”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BACK BABY

 

_Is this as sweet as you?_

The Nice Cream Papyrus bought you warmed your face. You loved little notes like these; they were silly but never failed to make you smile. You were taking a small break, sitting on the park bench watching the rambunctious duo run about the small playground in the park. Papyrus’s loud laugh traveled far throughout the park, catching others attention.

You made sure to keep a careful eye; there were a few unsettled people, but for the most part the other kids didn’t seem to mind. Some would gawk, but none were afraid. It was nice, especially for such a beautiful day; the sky was a clear blue, the bright sun giving warmth to the chilly day…

If only Sans had joined.

Pulling out the new phone, you tapped at it, lighting up the screen to take another look at the message.

xxx-xxx-xxxx

7:14

entertain paps

 

You tried to reply, but weren’t sure where to even start. Where was he? Was he okay? How did he already have your number? You tried to ask Papyrus where Sans could be without alarming him, but the younger brother was unfazed. He assured you his brother was simply gone, off to attend an odd job or apartment shopping… “OR SLEEPING IN A TREE.”

You and Frisk had both giggled at that. You had witnessed the lazy skeleton doze off on the bar counter plenty of times, you had just always assumed it was because it was so late.

Still, you worried.

Leaning back, you watched the two playmates at the swing set, Papyrus pushing the child gently as they giggled in bliss. You pulled up your phone once more, suppressing your giggles as you recorded the two playing; you knew Toriel would love to see this.

It was normal for a moment, till Frisk spoke through giggles, “Higher, Papy!” For a moment you and Papyrus were both stunned, but he quickly recovered with renewed vigor to meet the childs standards.

Frisk squealed as Papyrus pushed them higher and higher on the swing set, finally reaching the tipping point; gravity fought to bring them back down against the speed and velocity of the push that threatened to swing them completely around. You let out a breath of relief as gravity won, Frisk swinging back down with another laugh. Clicking off the recording, you changed your mind. Toriel would not be pleased seeing that.

Nearby mothers began to exchanged panicked whispers for the childs safety and you jumped up, the Nice Cream stumbling from your hands and onto the grass.

“Okay guys!” You yelled, waving your hands. Thankfully Papyrus didn’t waste any time stopping the swing, letting Frisk hop out and run over.

Giving you a crushing hug, they signed wildly, Papyrus dutifully translating, “HUNGRY.”

“Already, huh?” You snorted, ruffling their hair. They gave a pout, pushing away your hand and signaled the tall skeleton who in return lifted them to their shoulders. Now with a height advantage, Frisk scrambled to mess your hair, giggling wildly when they succeeded.

“Okay, okay, you cute brat,” you laughed back, patting it back down, “What do you want to eat?”

With a smile they pointed off in the distance, Papyrus squinting to follow their gaze as he tried to read from a distance, “M… U… F…”

“Muffet’s Bakery?”

“YES!”

Frisk smiled, resting their head atop Papyrus’s skull. Before they moved you took a quick pic, sending their face aflame in a pink blush.

“Your mom is gonna love it,” You told them, cackling as you headed to the shop.

The rest of the afternoon consisted of you snapping quick pictures of the unsuspecting Frisk and Papyrus, even getting a few with you all together. You sent most to Toriel, who was overly excited to see each one. You sent the video and the ones containing Papyrus to Sans.

 

* * *

 

Alphys:

4:45 PM

Any sign of Sans? :D

 

Chewing at your lip, you typed a reply. You had forgotten that you had texted Alphys almost the whole story on your way to the park this morning. Alphys was certainly more vocal and adorable via text; she had a thing for emoji’s.

You:

Well, according the phone he’s seen the text messages…

 

Alphys:

Odd… D= He’s usually back by now. =3=

 

You:

This is a normal thing?

 

You waited for a minute before understanding she didn’t want to answer that. Frustrated, you closed your eyes to lean back into the couch. You didn’t want to admit it, but running around with Frisk had left you tired, plus after the bakery Papyrus insisted on a morning jog.

Then an afternoon one.

Then one on the way home.

Your legs ached something fierce; training with Undyne was always tough but you never had to run so hard to keep up with Papyrus’s long legs… All the while with Frisk cheering you on, comfortably sitting atop his broad shoulders.

You relaxed, listening as Frisk hummed a quiet tune, drawing at the coffee table. Maybe if you took a small nap you could forget about the skeleton…

“I wouldn’t worry about the smiley trashbag.”

You cracked your eyes open just enough to give the flower a glare. He returned it with a bored look in his eyes before turning his attention back to Frisk’s drawing. “No, stupid, Maroon compliments it way better,” he muttered. Frisk simply stuck their tongue out before selecting the brown crayon instead.

If you weren’t so uncomfortable with him, you’d take a picture of the annoyance etched deep into his petals. You still weren’t sure why Frisk kept it around… He was nothing but unsettling.

“Will you cut that out?!”

You blinked at his sudden outburst directed towards you, even Frisk looking up confused.

“I said I was sorry, okay?! Just. **Drop. It**.” Flowey’s face twisted into something you could only describe as pure horror. His usual face melted away, his eyes broader, tinted in a dark shade of red, jagged and torn teeth splitting from his mouth as he sneered at you.

You bit back a scream; literally. Your teeth chewed into your bottom lip so tightly it broke the skin, the taste of iron mixing into your mouth. Your fingernails dug into the couch as you fought the instinct to back yourself into the corner of it. His gruesome grin faltered upon seeing the terror in your eyes. As the fangs of his teeth retreated you could see the turmoil in the dots of his eyes.

Frisk, dropping the crayon, took him roughly by the edge of his flowerpot, leaving him to dangle precariously the entire way up the stairs. With a shudder you gave your bottom lip a lick before pressing the sleeve of your jacket into it. The phone buzzed and you reached for it desperate for a distraction.

 

Alphys:

I think I know where he is. Tell me if he’s not back in time for Paps bedtime story ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

 

Was she serious? Did Papyrus get a bedtime story? Not that anything was wrong with that, of course! You just weren’t sure if it was part of a joke.

 

Alphys:

Undyne says not to worry about training tonight, we’ll come up with another day  (ó ì_í)=óò=(ì_í ò)

 

Typing away a thanks, you turned the phone back over. You could really use a nap.

Dinner was thankfully peaceful. There was no flower with the intent to kill, just you, Papyrus, Frisk, and Toriel. The goat mom seemed almost as tired as you; her whole day seemed to have been spent with the police.

“Don’t worry, my child. I’ll handle it.”

But the guilt filled your stomach, making it difficult to swallow down the delicious meal she had prepared. Despite the internal hiccup, you were mostly cheery. Papyrus, while he begrudgingly insisted it wasn’t complaining, gave a small comment that the meal, chicken and rice with broccoli, needed more pasta.

He quickly regretted the comment when Toriel smartly replied, “Next time I’ll consider the _pasta_ -bilities.” Although you and Frisk gave a chuckle at the pun, it was clear there was a missing member of the family. However, she didn’t ask, which only had you ponder further on how often this happened.

Eventually the time did come, after the dinner, after the baths and tv shows; Papyrus, in his adorable pajamas, approached you. It was story time.

“Of course I don’t mind,” you shushed for the third time as he settled into his racecar bed while you took a seat in the nearby chair. You opened the book, flipping through it, reaching the marked page. He wasn’t far into the book, and after a few minutes you could see why. His lids drooped, his bones relaxing, sinking into the mattress with each paragraph. A yawn slipped out as he fought to stay awake, and finally, after reaching the end of one chapter, he slipped into a deep slumber.

Shutting the book, you stood up, placing a light kiss on the top of his skull. The sweet moment chilled by a sudden unusual gust of cold air. Jerking upright, you looked around the room; there was no open window or clear vent. Ignoring the unsettling feeling, you returned the book to its rightful place, exiting the room.

Tired, you quietly made your way to Sans bedroom. As expected, it was empty. With a tsk you crossed the room, not even bothering to turn off the light as you slipped into the bed with full intent to sleep. Yet you couldn’t.

You tossed and turned, your toes bumping against what felt to be more wrappers only adding to your annoyance. What did he think he was doing? You were sure that even Papyrus was getting worried at this point, and you didn’t want to get Alphys involved in this anymore than you already had.

“Stupid,” you growled out, kicking at the sheets. Several ketchup packets flung out, falling to the floor. You tried not to yell at the disgust of the room, finally pulling yourself up from the bed.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” you spat the words out of your mouth as you began to pick up every piece of trash you could find. You found an un-used trash bag cluttered in a corner; A possible attempt maybe? Either way you put it to good use, filling it quickly with the obscene amount of trash. Finding an empty clothes basket, you flung every dirty sock you could find into it. You found joke books under trash, ketchup packets between the mattress, and dozens of unwashed clothes hiding in the closet. You even had the pleasure of finding a moldy piece of pizza under his dresser.

With your anger fading, you slowed your hectic cleaning. It was remarkably better, even with the sheets still unwashed.

The room was empty now; bare without the trash and empty clothes to fill the void of nothing that gave the illusion of being lived in. You crawled into the bed once more, closing your eyes for a brief moment. You just needed a moment to relax, then you’d continue your rage-induced cleaning spree.

Opening your eyes you were met with complete darkness.  Groggy, you tried to push yourself up; you must have fallen asleep, but you didn’t remember turning off the light. The mattress bended and creaked, a new weight pressing down onto it.

“Sans…?” Sleep laced your voice, making it soft and weak. The boney hands that pressed against your arms made you jump and hiss, waking you immediately.

“Jesus, you’re fucking cold!” You snapped, retreating further back. His clumsy snicker echoed as his hands grabbed at you harder, “Relax, baby, I’m just _chilled to the bone_.”

You whimpered at the bitter cold, unable to fight back as he wrapped his legs around one of yours. Shivering, you gave a hard shove that he continued to laugh at.

“ _Icy_ you cleaned,” he tried to whisper, but failed as he continued to shake in laughter at his own puns. Catching a whiff of something familiar, you leaned in. He seemed to glow with his magic; you tugged at his shirt, bringing his face dangerously close to your own to inhale the unusual scent.

Whiskey. The fool was drunk.

The low rumble of a growl had you pushing back, but it was too late. While you were preoccupied with your curiosity, his hands managed to snake around your waist. He gave a hard pull, crashing you against his ribcage. Heart thumping, you squirmed at the pleasurable fizzle of magic pressing into your chest, his face nuzzling at your neck.

“S—Sans?” You asked, his fingers tracing small circles along your skin.

“Mmmmm…. Yeah?”

A pop of magic sparked from one of his fingers and you shuddered back a moan. With a hiss he pulled away, eyes wide, “Fuck, a—are you okay? I just—“

Afraid he might just leave again, you yanked him back, holding him tight with a silent plea.

“No, I shouldn’t— I—I think I drank too much,” his nervous laugh rattling his bones, his hands giving a weak push to no avail. This time it was your turn to explore. Finding your way underneath his shirt, your fingers brushed along his spine. His breathing hitched, and you grew bold, your mind hazy and drunk off the buzzing magic in the air. Trailing up, your nails dragged against the back of his rib cage. The husky groan that echoed in the room had your stomach twisting, an uncomfortable warmth trickling down to pool at its base. You craved to hear more, images flashing in your mind to spur ideas to have him begging for more.

“Oh, stars,” he shuddered, “Don’t let it.”

You paused, the haze in your mind clearing at his words. “Don’t let it what?” You whispered, but he didn’t seem to hear you, or rather he ignored the question. Eyes soft, he held tight as he caught his breath, his skull pressing into your chest. Soon, he calmed, his eyes closing once more as he let out a gentle hum. It was only then that you realized he was listening to the sound of your heart.

Soon, his soft snoring replacing the hum of his song, and you sighed. Pushing down the urge to relieve the throbbing between your legs, you weren’t sure if you were relieved or disappointed at tonight’s outcome. You nearly laughed at your frustration as the oblivious skeleton peacefully snoozed away.

“Don’t…” He muttered, as you tried to roll away. With eyes still shut, he you were certain he was still asleep. He shuddered, causing his teeth to chatter as if he were cold. He whispered incoherent words as he pressed against your chest. You held him there, knowing the pleasurable evening was now taking a drunken wrong turn in his own mind.

“Reset,” the word a choked sob in the mess of nonsense.

You stayed awake till the nightmare passed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank all of you for the kind words on my update chapter. I was so relieved at all the support, and I'm just sorry it took so long xD  
> Sorry for any typo's, I'm stupid tired. I'll be looking over the chapter in the morning


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to make updates more regular again! :D  
> There will be at least 1 update between Wednesday and Saturday this week.   
> Hope you enjoy!

 

“And you’re sure you’re alright?”

You gave a huff; this was getting annoying. You knew talking to the police was going to give you a headache, but you didn’t expect having to repeat yourself so often to get a point across. The officers’ fingers tapped impatiently against the metal desk, awaiting your response. He had secluded you to a spare interrogation room, and although you weren’t chained down like a common criminal, you still felt as if you were the one on trial. Your eyes flickered back to the two-way mirror; you hoped Toriel and Sans were on the other side. You felt safer thinking they were watching the whole ordeal.

The officer cleared his throat to bring your attention back to the question at hand. He was a standard cop; broad in size, but aging. Sprouts of gray shimmered in his ginger hair, wrinkles sagged at his eyelids, giving him a permanent tired look that paired well with the frown he was giving you.

“I’m perfectly safe,” it took everything in your willpower not to hiss the sentence between your teeth. Your end goal was to clear up any misconceptions, not create new ones.

Clearing his throat once more, he turned over the papers at his hands; he was still skeptical. You fidgeted in the uncomfortable seat. How long had you been here? He had interrogated you on what little you owned in your apartment for so long you had lost track of time. It felt like well over an hour before you convinced him that you hadn’t been robbed and you were just poor.

He pulled out a pin from his shirt pocket, clicking it several times before continuing.

“Now you say there was a witness in the attack?”

Aside from the monsters who saved you?

“Yes. She’s a neighbor, she was the one who called for help, I—“

You paused, contemplating the next words. You didn’t exactly have a name, did you?

“I don’t know her very well. We chatted a little at the bar… It’s kind of a blur…”

With your voice trailing off, the officer looked up from his scribbling.

“Do you believe that you were drugged?”

Adamantly shaking your head, you continued, “No! Not at all… Just drunk.”

You recounted the evening, when you had noticed the men trailing you, how you tried to hide, and the moment they caught you. Hands trembling at the memory, you pointed out the exact areas where each scrape and bruise once were.

“Your lip?” He asked. Your fingers brushed across the scabbing at your lip; you had nearly forgotten it.

“Something else. Unrelated,” you dismissed, trying not to think of the yellow flower.

“So… They’re gone,” he stated, gesturing at you.

“I still have the clothes! I don’t think Tori washed them…” You found your eyes trailing back to the mirror and you quickly diverted your attention. Was that it? Did you even have a case anymore?

With a gasp you jumped up, startling the old man. Frantically you tugged at the button of your jeans, unclasping it.

The officer, clearly flustered at the sudden boldness, stood up, “Hey, hold on here! Wait—“

The loud bang of a fist slamming into the other side of the mirror startled you both; maybe Sans _was_ behind the glass. Ignoring it you tugged the jeans down a little, revealing the still scabbed markings along your hips. The officer, getting over the initial shock, inspected closer. He circled, taking a look at the obvious tears into your skin from hasty hands.

“Do you mind if we take pictures?”

There was another hard slam at the glass.

“Not at all. Whatever helps my case.” 

 

 

* * *

 

“I think that went very well,” Tori said, smiling as she drove the three of you back home. You hummed in agreement, even though you didn’t share her enthusiasm. Taking a moment, you glanced in the rearview mirror back at Sans. He was still brooding, glaring daggers through the window. He did not approve the show of skin.

_“You have no idea who he is!” His left eye sparked in color as he tried to calm himself. He had dragged you into a small closet just to argue while Toriel handled whatever questions the officers had left._

_With a roll of your eyes, you snorted back, “He’s a **Police Officer** , Sans! I was perfectly fine!”_

_“You could have been assaulted! Again!”_

_“And you could have shut up! I don’t need you banging and causing a scene! I don’t need you to—“_

_With a hiss you bit at your lip to stop the rest of the words from spilling out, but it was too late. The anger in his face broke, a stony mask replacing the obvious frustration and hurt in his eyes._

_“No, wait,” you tried to backpedal but he turned away, shrugging off your hand as you reached out._

_“No, you’re right.”_

You sighed; you should have just gone with it. It was understandable, of course, but he was being stupid. You were safe because he was there. Why couldn’t he just see that?

If Tori noticed the tension, she didn’t say anything. Wordlessly the two of you made your way inside. A happy Frisk greeted you with a hug while Papyrus excitedly told Sans of his adventures while the two of you were away. His smile returned while speaking with his brother, giving you hope, but as Paps moved to you, Sans eyes met yours.

His mouth opened to say something, but with Paps tugging at your hands it was hard to stay focused.

“—And Undyne took out the tree with her bare fists!”

You laughed as Frisk nodded along, grinning widely at the tale. You looked back up but Sans was gone.

Dinner, as promised by Toriel, had certainly arrived with more pasta-bilities.

“LASAGNA?”

“It’s in the pasta-family,” you explained. He nodded vigorously in response, staring so intensely at the food as if it would tell the worlds secrets. You took a seat across from him with your plate of food, Sans the chair at your side. His grin spread wide, watching his brother studying the new food.

“Careful there, Paps. It might be an im _pasta_.”

“SANS, PLEASE.”

“Yeah Sans, that’s wasn’t very _oregano_ -l.”

“HUMAN. PLEASE.”

He snorted in response, your face flushing as you joined in laughter.

“You’re right Paps, we should stop. It’s becoming a _pastas_ trophe.”

“Quit the di _sauce_ ter,” you agreed. Papyrus let out a loud huff as the two of you snickered. Once Toriel arrived to the table just in time to hear, “This is _tortellini_ ridiculous,” it was on.

According to Frisk it was the second most _pun_ derful dinner of their life. Papyrus could only attend the first ten minutes before excusing himself quite loudly for puzzles. Still, you could see him smile as he turned away; he was happy to have his brother back.

It was only after Toriel left to put Frisk to bed did Sans approach you.

“Hey.”

With his hands stuffed deep into his jacket pockets, he seemed to find interest in anything but you. Still, you stopped washing the dishes to give him your full attention.

“Hi,” you replied, wiping the water from your hands.

“About earlier…” He groaned, rubbing the back of his neck, “I might have been a little stupid.”

“I don’t think so.”

His brow raised, his speech halted by your words.

“Sans,” you sighed his name out, turning away from him to resume cleaning the dishes, “The only reason I _could_ do that is because you were there.”

Ignoring the rising heat beneath the collar of your shirt, you scrubbed needlessly at a plate, trying to focus on cleaning rather than the strange speed of your heart.

“That’s why I knew I was safe. **You** were there.”

There was a beat of silence, the only sound being the running water as you continued to rinse the rest of the plates, placing them neatly inside the dishwasher.

Uncomfortable at the lack of response, you continued, “You’re my friend. You’ve already saved me once too many, so… I trust you.”

He gave a nervous chuckle that you were unfamiliar with. “O—Oh. Yeah, that makes sense, huh?”

“Yeah,” You breathed out, turning off the sink.

“Yeah…”

You turned around, facing him in the quiet kitchen. He rolled on the heels of his feet, stopping only when your eyes met his, freezing up like a deer in the headlights.

Last night flashed in your mind; how his magic felt brushing against your bare skin, how he entangled himself in you while he slept. You leaned against the counter behind you, legs tingling, threatening to tremble. You swore you could still feel the caress of his magic that left you yearning for more.

When you woke up this morning his hands had wandered to the hem of your waistband with you aching for them to sink lower. Neither of you spoke of it, brushing it off like nothing had happened, ignoring the sexual tension that had nearly stole your breath away.

Did he even remember last night? You weren’t sure how intoxicated he really was.

“Hey—“

“I—“

Both of you froze, halting the sentence for the other only to sheepishly laugh at the awkwardness of it all. With a placid grin he urged you to go first.

“I—I’m just gonna take a shower,” you finished lamely.

“Oh, yeah, it’s about that time, huh.” He shrugged, closing his right eye. He did it so often you started to wonder if he was too lazy to keep them both open.

“Yeah. Um… What did you wanna say?”

“Nothin’. Have a good night, sweetheart.” And with that he popped out of the room.

Unable to press the issue further, you continued with your routine. Picking up a pair of shorts and loose tee from your bag, you headed upstairs. You could hear Sans from Papyrus’s room, reading where you had left off the night before; so that’s where he had disappeared to.

Stripping down, you hopped in the shower, sighing at its warmth. With Sans back and Papyrus going to bed, it was time you started crashing on the couch again.

You didn’t mind, it was comfier than most beds anyways, but it meant that you needed to find another place before you wore out your welcome. You were pretty sure your landlord was not going to let you back after this mess, so it was time to start looking elsewhere…

You sighed once more, heavy with uncertainty. You needed to go back to work. Hell, you needed to get your car back. The Police deemed it as substantial evidence for the time being, leaving you with nothing but bus transportation or Toriel’s Mom-Mobile.

Twisting the knob, you brought the steady stream of hot water to a trickle that slowly ended as you dried yourself. You took a brief moment to admire yourself in the mirror, brushing against the scabbed marks that you had so bravely shown off earlier. Now with documented pictures as proof, maybe you could get rid of it before it became an unwelcomed scar.

Maybe.

The thought of Sans working his magic sent a shiver up your spine that you hastily dismissed.

Dressing quickly, you gave your teeth a good brush before walking out with your dirty clothes in tow. Your brow raised upon seeing the blue-hoodied skeleton leaning against his room door, eyes closed, his head bending forward. You nearly laughed; was he really sleeping standing up?

Before you could tip-toe past, he gave a yawn, his sockets groggily opening up to take in his surroundings.

“Well, good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” you teased. He gave a goofy grin in return that you giggled at. With a roll of your eyes, you continued walking down.

“Wait.”

You looked back, stopping at the foot of the stairs for him to continue.

“Where are you sleeping tonight?”

Throat clamping up, your eyes flickered downstairs to the couch. You gave a dry swallow before answering, “The couch.”

Slowly, he approached, the pink slippers a gentle thump against the carpet. Your heart was no-where near as soft, instead it pounded louder in your ears the closer he got.

“Do… You want to?”

You had to remind yourself to breath. A steady in, then out, trying to calm your nerves as you faced him. His cheeks dusted in blue, he stared hard at the downstairs couch, awaiting your response. Nerves had your fingers shaking, your voice caught in your throat with uncertainty.

You could see him retreating, the flush growing bolder as he stammered out an apology, already stepping away.

“No…”

You reply was so quiet you weren’t even sure if you had actually said it. Yet his head snapped back, eyes wide with surprise knowing the implications of the simple word.

“Oh, uh, okay then! I’ll, uh, sleep on the couch then,” he said with a laugh. He was trying to twist it around but you knew better. Growing bolder at his skittish change of heart, you took his hand.

“No,” you whispered, more firmly. Numbly, he nodded, the bones of his fingers just as jittery as your own as he led you to his bedroom.


	20. Chapter 20

 

“Are you sure about this?”

Your shorts were tugged down, the fresh pastel pink panties teasingly peaked out from underneath. His fingers caressed the soft flesh above its hem, his face close enough to kiss the markings; the vision alone was making you dizzy with lust, your heart thumping loud enough to battle a drum circle.

You had no idea what was going to happen next, let alone if your heart was going to survive it.

“Y—Yeah,” you shakenly breathed back.

“Tell me if… anything hurts. Or if you’re uncomfortable,” although his voice shook with the same nervousness as you, it held a stern professionalism in it. Once again, you repeated the words in your mind; ‘He was just working a little healing magic, that was all. Nothing more.’

Right.

“I’ll try not to kick you,” You joked, forcing your eyes upward. You had no idea what you were doing; before you had even sat on his bed you had blurted out ‘Trust Exercise’ and here you were.

God, you were a glutton for punishment.

You squirmed as he took a deep breath, heart pounding in anticipation as you watched the blue hue of light reach the ceiling you were so desperate to focus on.

His touch, with a hint of chill, sent a shiver of pleasure up to your chest. Your breathing stuttered, becoming raspy gasps as he massaged the tingles of his magic into your body.

Your reaction was almost immediate as you bit down in an attempt to keep silent. With your back beginning to arch, one hand held a fistful of pillow and sheets, the other desperate to cover the taut nipples that begged for his attention.

Still, with every brush and jolt of pleasure, you refused to let yourself moan, shutting your eyes tight. Only shaky breaths left your lips, your pleas and begs for more locked up in your own mind, too scared to slip out.

“Doin’ okay?”

The static buzz of pleasure began to wane as you struggled to form coherent sentences. Gently he called your name and you responded.

“Y—Yes!”

Yes, oh God, yes.

If he didn’t hurry this was going to be the end of you. What was once a pleasant warmth at the base of your stomach had now coiled and knotted to a blazing heat that threatened to be your undoing.

He worked his fingers tirelessly to your hips as you shuddered, helpless to the immense pleasure that raked across your body. You needed to calm down, you needed a break before you went too far. You opened your mouth to tell him to stop, but instead a loud moan escaped.

Clenching your jaw shut, you twisted around to stuff a pillow in your face in an attempt to silence anything else. Helpless, you throbbed between your legs, your body betraying your mind.

“Al—Almost done.”

His voice, a husky groan as you squirmed underneath him, the shorts tugging further down at your movement. Another moan slipped past your lips, thankfully muffled by the pillow. You let out a gasp, opening your eyes just in time to see the blue glow of the fabric before the pillow was flung to the other side of the room.

“ _S—Saans_!” you moaned out; the irritation you held was impossible to detect in your mewling and labored breaths.

“How else am I supposed to hear you, babygirl?” His seductive chuckle catching off guard, sending a near painful throb down below. _Babygirl?_ His pet names were going to be the death of you.

Forcing your eyes open you tried to glare down at him.

There were no more markings;

_He was done._

You almost let out a breath of relief to be done with this torture, yet his smug grin widened.

His hands, devoid of all magic, rested at your still-shaking thighs. You watched as his attention diverted to his right hand. It trailed further down, almost methodically, feeling out the softness of your skin all the way down to your ankle.

Words too quiet for you to catch were lost amid your shuddered moan as his hand, oh-so-slowly, made its way back up your leg. His left eye, swirling with the colors of his magic, snapped back up, directly up at you. The predatory gaze alone nearly sent you over the edge.

With eyes never leaving yours, his mouth opened, revealing a cerulean tongue. Legs trembling, the slick tongue slid across the top of your panties, right above where you so desperately needed him to go.

Your eyes rolled to the back your head, both from the buzzing vibrations of his magic laced tongue and the vision of it all. This time you didn’t hold back, letting his name slip out as you moaned into the open air.

You wanted—No, you needed more.

You needed to reach your peak, and you so desperately wanted him to bring you there. Yet when he tugged the shorts back up, all you could do was weakly whine in protest.

He snickered, coming up to see your face up close, how hopeless you were underneath him. You tried to glare at him; he knew what he did, what he was doing, the whole time.

Your heart kick-started once more as he leaned down for what you thought was a kiss, but instead he gently rested his forehead against yours. Closing your eyes, you listened as his breathing slowed, returning to its soft pace. Maybe you gave him the same effect he held on you after all.

Pulling away, he gave a soft smile.

“Goodnight, sweetheart.”

Before you could fully register the words, he walked out, quietly shutting the door behind him. He really intended to sleep on the couch, that ass.

You groaned, turning over in the bed, fully frustrated and he knew it. You tried to sleep, you truly did, but after fifteen minutes you gave up.

“Fuck it,” you hissed, tugging down the shorts once more.

Your hand trembled, slipping down to find the sweet spot that craved attention. It didn’t take long as you pictured his tongue traveling lower. You rubbed longingly and slow, trying to recreate what it might feel like, your fingers slicking between your folds as you quietly panted his name.

God, if only he went further. You almost wished he had. You should have begged to cum on his tongue.

Fuck, the thought of it had you seeing stars behind your eyes.

Hitting your peak, your legs shook through your orgasm as you came, shuddering, hissing out curses all the way down.

With a shaky groan you rolled back over, burying your face in the spare pillow Sans didn’t throw across the room.

Loudly, you let out a frustrated huff into the fabric, only pulling away to breathe.

You just masturbated in his bed.

You masturbated to Sans. In his own bed.

Better yet, you just masturbated to a monster. A monster skeleton.

A hot, stupid, teasing jerk that had reduced you to a panting blubbering mess—

You let out another string of curses, giving the pillow a hard punch before turning over with it.

God, what were you going to do now.


	21. Chapter 21

 

You slurped loudly from the straw on your Muffet Brand Iced Coffee as you glared harshly at the overhead TV. The start of a headache prickled the back of your neck as you tried to calmly breathe through your nose.

Why were people still talking about this?

“So you believe this girl should step forward?” The woman, with a voice so sickly sweet it made you ill, crossed her legs as she leaned in closer to the robot. He was glamourous, the lighting of the set gleaming off his metal frame as he gave his hair a stylishly flamboyant flip.

You were never a big fan of the ever-popular monster, but even you had to admit the clash of hot pink against silver and black looked amazing on him.

“Of course, Darling! Why, us Monsters need all the good rep we can get!”

You bit into the green straw, pulling away from the drink with a loud ‘tsk’. Grillby’s flames gave a quiet flicker in response. If it wasn’t where you worked you might have tossed your drink at the stupid thing.

“Now, I know what you’re thinking! Doesn’t everyone love Mettaton?” He continued, winking at the camera. Scrunching up your face, you jammed your finger on the ‘OFF’ switch, silencing his moronic speech.

You certainly did not love Mettaton now.

“This isn’t going to just fade away, is it?” You sighed, getting up from the barstool. Grillby didn’t bother to reply; he was still miffed that had insisted on coming back. It wasn’t your fault. You had bills to pay! You had a new apartment to look for! You had a life to return to!

You straightened the black skirt and fiddled with a button at your shirt. Nerves were getting to you; you were out of commission for so long it felt like your first day back on the job again.

“I can’t let this get to me, Grillbz,” you told him.

His flames fizzled quietly and he gave a nod. Adjusting his glasses, he turned away, the tips of his flames illuminating a deeper, yet brighter shade.

“Missed you.” It was murmured and crackled, but in the empty building it spoke volumes.

With a giggle you crossed to the other side of the bar, wrapping him in a hug that he was too embarrassed to return.

“Missed you too, you old fireball.”

Fuzzy feelings now exchanged, you got to work. Unlocking the front door and flipping the switch for the neon sign out front, you awaited the first customer of the day. Thankfully, it wasn’t too long after a few monsters mulled in, exhausted from a hard days work and in need of a cold beer. You were more than happy to oblige, greeting each one more enthusiastically than the last.

Many were happy to see you again, several making off-hand comments about how stand-offish Burger Pants was. Needless to say you were shocked to find that was his name and **not** a random insult by Sans. Despite the hushed whispers of judgement, you didn’t mind him. Sure he seemed uninterested and took smoke breaks often, but he certainly was the added help that was needed on nights like these.

“Careful there, doll.”

You let out a small gasp of surprise, his hand pressed against your lower back mid-step as you had begun to step away from a table. Thankfully you managed to freeze in time not to completely back into the taller cat monster.

He moved on, not bothering to hear your stuttered apology, with drinks in tow for table three. Frowning slightly, you returned to the bar. Stand-offish indeed.

Every time you approached with a joke or simple pleasantry he walked away, giving an uneasy grin and confused eyes. It was almost as if he had no idea why you were talking to him.

A snap brought you back to reality, Grillby’s flames giving a low whisper of a pop as he pointed at your rear. Eyes raised, your hand trailed to the back, removing the vibrating phone from your pocket. You blinked once, then twice at the caller ID: Sans.

Odd.

Fighting down the fluttering in your chest, you flashed Grillby an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry boss, I’ll try to be quick about this,” you told him, rushing to the back as you slid your finger across the green button. Taking in a gulp of air you tried to calm yourself. It was a phone call for Christ sake, you’ve had phone calls with plenty of people.

“H—Hello?” God, you were stuttering like Alphys.

“Hey…”

There was a cough, the clashing of dishes fading in the background. He gave a soft chuckle before continuing.

“So, Paps wanted to talk to ya. Says he hasn’t seen you all day.”

“Oh!” Your heart tugged at the mention of the taller brother, “O—Of course! I’d love to talk with him!”

His laugh, deep and infectious, filled the speaker bringing a smile to your face. Hearing the ruffle of the phone being passed along, Papyrus’s loud “NYEH” came across.

“HUMAN! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?”

Yanking the phone from your ear you couldn’t help but snicker at his volume. He was yelling into the phone as if you were on the other side of a tunnel.

“YOU MISSED DINNER. IT WAS SATISFACTORY. NOT AS GOOD AS MY COOKING, BUT CLOSE. I WISH YOU COULD TASTE THE DELICTABLE DELIGHTS THAT THE GREAT PAPYRUS CREATES BUT… Um… T—Toriel…”

To your surprise his voice grew quiet enough for you to hear Frisk giggling wildly in the background.

“TORIEL HAS MOMENTARILY BANNED ME FROM COOKING.”

Stifling your laughter, you composed yourself to give a sympathetic whine, “Aw, I’m sorry Papy. You’ll have to make it for me someday.”

“YES INDEED. HOPEFULLY SOON. SANS HAS BEEN VERY PRODUCTIVE IN… I BELIEVE YOU HUMANS CALL IT, ‘HUNTING HOUSES’?”

God he was so cute you could die.

With a wide grin you listened, your ear a good two inches from the phone, as Papyrus went in depth for what he looked for in a home. After hearing about how he needed three kitchens, you were certain that Sans would never find the Dream Home. Still, you nodded and hummed in approval all the same, chiming in to add more impossible rooms to the fantasy house.

“I AGREE, IT MOST DEFINETLY NEEDS AN ABOVEGROUND UNDERGROUND POOL. UNDYNE IS A VERY PASSIONATE SWIMMER.”

You choked mid-laugh as your coworker shuffled through the door. With a yelp you stood to attention.

“I’m-sorry-Papy-I-have-to-run, breaks over!” The words so rushed you weren’t sure if he could catch them, but with a quick swipe the call was cut.

Face flushed with shame, you left the phone on the counter, rushing past the leering monster.

He watched the sway of your hips as you pushed past the door, a sheepish smile on your face as you return to work. The unlit cigarette lolled in his mouth as his gaze lazily moved to the black piece of technology you left behind.

 

* * *

 

It was half past eleven when Sans showed up, popping into existence as always. By the time you managed to break free from chatty customers he was already on his second bottle, making jokes at anyone who would listen. You grin broadened as you approached, twisting your stomach into knots.

Leaning against the counter, your smiled, “What’s up, Bonehead?”

He didn’t miss a beat, nudging close enough for your arms to touch.

“Just _patella-n_ a few tales.”

Giving a lighthearted chuckle you turned away, dropping the contact.

“So how was the couch last night?”

Your mouth clamped shut once your brain caught up with what you said. If things weren’t awkward before, they certainly were now. The thought of last night flashed briefly in your head; his tongue pressed hard beneath your navel, his fingers digging into your thighs as he stared up with—

Vaguely you heard the words, “ _Sofa,_ so good.”

You gave a laugh; it was weak and distracted attempt, but it was all you could muster as your eyes tried to find anything else to focus on.

With your throat suddenly dry you stepped away; you needed a glass of water, and as much as Grillby enjoyed handing you a drink, you were certain he wouldn’t touch the stuff.

Hastily filling the glass to the brim, you edged yourself to the other side of the room.

_Focus. You’re here for work._

Taking a sip of the cool beverage you shook your spare hand of its nerves. You just had to not think about it. Nothing happened, nothing changed—

“You doin’ okay there?”

Your eyes shot up, meeting his, his orange brow furrowed in concern.

“Yeah, perfect!” Gulping down the rest, you did your best to conjure up a reassuring smile, “Sometimes I get a little winded running around in here.”

With his mouth tugged into a frown he gently took your now empty glass. “Hey, kiddo, I’m here for a reason. I’ll step in for you take a five-minute break or something.”

“No, no—“

You stopped as the bell jingled and you tossed out a greeting to the trio of college boys. They gave a resounding, “AYYY,” as they settled into their usual booth.

BP’s hand shot out, stopping you as you abruptly ran into it, chest first. “I’ve got these guys, you take a seat and rest.”

You glanced between him and table and gave a nod, “A—Alright… If you say so…”

Trying to be as casual as possible, you walked behind the bar, keeping the counter as a good measurement of space between you and Sans. Keeping your eyes trained on BP, you watched as he gave the group a half-assed greeting, jotting their orders down on a pad of paper.

“What was that about?”

The tone had you feeling he was more annoyed rather than curious, and you spared him a look before answering.

“He’s just helping me out is all. That’s what coworkers do.”

He gave a hum, sipping at the bottle of ketchup as you kept your full attention on the cat. Carefully he weaved his way through tables, narrowly avoiding Greater Dog as his head reached out to nuzzle against him as he passed.

“I don’t like him.”

Your eyes slid back to the grumbling skeleton as he glared at the monster across the bar. Brow cocked, you leaned further back from the bar.

Was he jealous?

You didn’t have much experience with jealousy, and Sans didn’t seem to be the kind of guy to put enough energy into something so silly… But was he? He had no reason to be…

“Well,” you sighed noticing wave of a customer. Table five needed refills, and you had a feeling table two wanted the bill.

“I like him.”

He rolled his eyes, turning his back on you and you smiled. Gently, you placed your hand at the top of his skull, giving it a light rub. He became rigid at the touch, gripping the ketchup bottle closer; even turned away you could see the tint of blue at creeping to the edge of his face.

“Of course, it’s nowhere near as much as I like you.”

 

You weren’t able to confirm whether not Sans was jealous, but for the remainder of the night you kept spotting him spouting off jokes to the other monster.

He seemed to get over not liking him pretty quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there!! Just wanted to say thank you for all the comments and kudos, I can't even believe anyone is still reading this xD  
> Seriously, I love you guys and all your support, it means so so much to me and I just wanted to say thanks!


	22. Chapter 22

 

“Do you have any words for your fans?” A woman cooed behind her red-rimmed glasses.

You gave no response, brushing past her as you stepped off the bus.

“Anything you wish to say to the protesters?” The young man questioned, his pen raised with baited breath as he awaited your response.

You walked away, the donut bag in hand as Frisk, followed with a small wave of goodbye to the reporter and an innocent smile.

“What are your views on Monster Human relations?” The skinny broad popped the gum in her mouth loudly, eyes glazed from alcohol.

You dismissed her quickly, leaving Burger Pants to be her (disgruntled) server for the remainder of the night.

“How have your recent experiences changed your view on Monsters?”

You paused, giving the slick blonde a raised brow. Picking up the empty glass, you stepped back, ignoring him. Fearful, your eyes darted to Sans who became rigid at your gaze. Quickly your eyes returned to the man, a smile gracing your features.

“Want a refill—“

“Do you have anything to say for the previous discourse you’ve had with the monster community in the past?”

You blanched, continuing to back away as you stuttered, “I—I have no idea what you’re going on about—“

You tripped, you knew you did, but a soft push brought you back upright. It was Sans; you could detect his magic a mile away now, the gentle hum of it bringing a rush to your ears. You could hear the scrape of his barstool against the floor as he stood. Knowing he was approaching, you wrung your wrists.

This conversation needed to be over. Now.

The bar was too full, too diverse.

His green eyes narrowed, taking in your form. You were the one standing above him, but in the moment you felt smaller than the table he was dining at.

“Do you have any words for the family—“

Your body warmed, catching the heat of his brash anger before your ears heard the crackle of a roaring flame that silenced the mans one-sided interrogation, as well as the entire bar. You knew Sans was watching, but you had no idea _he_ was paying attention too.

_“Out.”_ The word sizzled with distaste.

Although the fear was evident in the mans’ eyes, he held his ground in the dead silence. Fishing out his wallet, he filed through the bills, flipping out a crisp fifty. It was more than enough, given he only had one cheap human beer.

Distracted from the amount, you flinched as two fingers unfolded at you, a flimsy off-white card clasped in-between. Hesitant, but ready for him to leave, you took it.

“My info. Contact me if you want the real story told.”

You didn’t reply, crumpling it before stuffing into the front pocket of your apron. Unfazed, he stood up, adjusting the thin framed glasses at the bridge of his nose.

“It won’t be long till others find out.”

 

* * *

 

Silence.

It was the calm before the storm. It was restless, filled with questions you weren’t quite ready to answer. He wanted to ask; you could practically hear the words through his gentle touches, but he never spoke of the incident.

Lately he would drop you off in his bedroom and saunter his way to the couch with a soft ‘goodnight’, but tonight was different. The air tense as he took to sitting by your side as you laid down, trying to unwind from the busy night.

You appreciated it; you knew it was probably eating away at him. But Sans had secrets of his own, questions that you asked and ones he never answered regarding the day of his disappearance. You didn’t mind… Some things needed time before you spoke about them out loud.

Still, you enjoyed the company. Ever since _that_ night, the only time spent together was awkward glances surrounded by others.

You gave a hum in approval as his hand began to play with strands of your hair, gently toying with its texture between his thumb and forefinger.

Eventually you broke the silence as his hand soon got tangled, accidentally giving it a hard tug.

“I’m starting to feel like your plaything,” you teased, giving a playful laugh as you worked your fingers into getting him unhooked.

“S—Sorry. Got a little _tied_ up in the moment.”

With a groan, you managed to get him free, rolling your eyes as you fought back a smile.

“What’s wrong, darlin’, _knot_ your style?”

“Sans, nooo,” You grumbled, rolling to the other side of the bed.

“Hey now, don’t _knot_ it till—“

Faking annoyance, you clamped a pillow to your ear, blocking out the remainder of his sentence and stifling your laughter. Yanking the sound barrier from your grasp, his hand snaked underneath your shirt, the cold bone causing you to squeal out in surprise.

“No! Stop, Stop!” You screamed out laughing, but he only giggled harder, climbing on top of you to keep you pinned down.

Relentless in his tickle attack, you squirmed and pushed against his hard bones as he continued to force the laughter out of you, his grin wild as you begged for him to stop. In retaliation you grasped out for anything you could get a hold of, yanking hard against his gray tee as your fingers searched underneath for a similar reaction.

He jumped as you grazed against his hip bone, a shiver of a laugh filling the room. Excited at the prospect of actually tickling a skeleton, you reached further to stroke the underside of his ribcage. Now it was his turn to struggle, howling in laughter. He attempted to push you away, his magic gradually crawling along your arms, giving off a warm pleasant buzz.

A loud knock at the door immediately ceased the giggles, the blue glow vanishing, leaving the room too dark for you to see.

“Brother?”

Before you could even blink Sans had left the bed, cracked open the door with rushed apologies. Sitting up, you watched the two interact in hushed whispers, Papyrus’s right eye illuminated in orange, giving enough light to see the concern on the older brothers face.

Even through the small opening Papyrus’s eyes found yours, the orange glow fading and his words becoming louder as he backtracked.

Crawling out of the bed, you approached, pulling the door open wider.

“Sorry to wake you Human! I heard something suspicious and, I, The Great and Fearless Papyrus, have deduced it was nothing more than an outside cat! O—Or dog… or whatever animals that may lurk outside,” his yelled whisper became softer as he grew more uncertain of his words.

“EITHER WAY.”

Seeing you jump at the loudness, he immediately lowered his volume.

“Do not mind me, human. Please, go back to your sleeping, or…” He glanced at Sans whose blush had begun to light up the small hallway.

Ignoring it, you questioned further, “Are you sure?”

There was a pause of silence, his eyes darting between you and Sans for a moment as he thought over his reply. The hesitation before his answer was more than enough, taking him by the hand you led him back to his room.

“Why don’t we have another slumber party?” You mused, leading the precious cinnamon roll back to his bed.

“But… What about your slumber party with Sans?” You couldn’t help but smile at the pure innocence behind his train of thought. With a loving pat on his head you replied, “Well, it just got bigger. I’m sure Sans doesn’t mind.”

Sans, who followed lengthily behind, shrugged, grin wide as he watched you join Paps in his racecar bed. You found yourself quickly becoming comfortable, his bones softly pressing against your arm. You hadn’t really thought of it in the past; real bones jutted out and usually were uncomfortable, yet laying with a skeleton was surprisingly soft.

Curious, you scooted closer only to feel a soft invisible cushion as you pressed against his bones. Papyrus didn’t seem to mind, giving you the same affectionate pat on the head you gave to him only minutes ago.

“There, there, human. The Great Papyrus is here.”

He thought you were scared.

Struggling not to laugh, you turned the other way, rolling your eyes at Sans who decidedly took a seat in the empty desk chair. As you snuggled into the sheets he lazily raised his arm. A thick glowing book pulled itself from the shelf, guiding its way to his open hand.

No matter how often you saw glimpses of what he could do, it still awed you all the same. He gave a wink that you shied away from, closing your open mouth.

“Lazybones,” Papyrus grumbled.

Sans merely snickered in response, flipping through a few pages to reach the bookmark. Closing your eyes, you tried to listen to Sans as he started the paragraph. His voice, purposely dull and emotionless, quickly had your mind drifting as you tuned him out. You could hear Papyrus lightly snoring against your back before you quickly succumbed to the same fate.

 

* * *

 

 

Groggy from sleep, you rolled over. You expected to tumble into the taller skeleton, but instead you felt out the empty bed before you. Unfazed, you cuddled deeper into the sheets; they smelled fresh, like clean laundry and lilacs. You had to admit, it was an unfamiliar scent compared to the other brothers bed. It was nice.

You perked up at the sound of Sans voice. It was muffled and unintelligible between the closed door, but your heart didn’t seem to mind. Against your will, it quietly picked up its pace, your ears straining to hear the conversation.

“THAT’S A WONDERFUL IDEA, SANS!”

Oh Papyrus. Even between walls, you had no trouble hearing him.

“OH YES, INDEED, I VERY MUCH LIKE HER.”

He must have been hushed, for quickly his volume dropped to his brothers level, leaving you to question what was so secretive. With a slight pout gracing your lips, you kicked off the sheets and swung the door open, surprising the two.

“Good mornin’, sleeping beauty.”

Ignoring the fluttering in your chest, you eyed the two suspiciously. Papyrus was decked out in his jogging gear; blue shorts, bright orange tennis shoes, and the top half of a gray tee with the words ‘COOL DUDE’ scribbled in in marker.

While Papyrus was blindingly awake, Sans seemed worse for wear. His wide smile seemed slightly forced, his eyes carrying a dim light with heavy bags, indicating his lack of sleep. With his jacket now off, you could see spots of grease and a smear of ketchup splattered on the white and deeply wrinkled tee. Your brow furrowed, taking in the sudden ragged appearance. Either he changed into a nasty shirt on purpose or he made his way back to Grillby’s in the middle of the night. You were willing to bet on the latter.

“GOOD MORNING, HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL FINISH MY JOG IN A TIMELY FASHION IN ORDER FOR US TO GO ABOUT OUR SCHEDULED EVENTS!”

He gave a quick, yet stern, salute before dashing down the stairs and out the door.

“Okay…” You snorted.

You gave another once over at Sans who seemed to be zoning out, eyes creaking shut where he stood.

“I wasn’t aware I had plans today.” Your voice was barely over a whisper but he jumped as if it was Papyrus’s level of volume.

“Hah, yeah,” his hand scratched at the back of his skull, a nervous habit you were slowly picking up on. “I mean; you don’t have to. You and Pap seemed pretty excited about this house business, so I thought maybe you could tag along…” He trailed off, staring off at the wall opposite of yourself.

The overwhelming joy of being included bubbled up from your chest, your excitement being released in a loud, “Yes!”

He gave a soft chuckle at the response, the relief edging away some of the strain his face held. You tried not to let your concern show, keeping the smile on your face as you spoke. “I’m gonna take a quick shower, why don’t you take a little nap? I’ll wake you up when I’m ready.”

With his plastic-like grin back on, he gave a lazy shrug, “don’t need to tell me twice.”

You half-expected him to blip out, as usual when you two separated, however in his tired state the most he could do his slowly stagger his way to the bedroom. Only when the door clicked shut did you let your smile slip, wondering what could have changed between the bedtime story and now.

 

* * *

 

“THIS IS… OKAY.”

Holding back a groan you simply rolled your eyes behind Papyrus’s back. This was the fourth house he turned down, every single one of them being stunning yet unable to fit his exact needs. You were starting to regret playing along with the idea of creating a home. Yet, Sans never complained, flashing his trademark grin and declining every offer the realtor gave.

“Listen, Papy,” you whispered, pulling the unimpressed skeleton to the side, “We’re not going to find a house with three kitchens. Surely there must be something this place has going for it.”

He gave a loud, boisterous laugh, catching the attention of his brother who was amidst turning down another home. The poor woman was beginning to look a bit crazed; her hair, once sleek and straight had gone full frizz after House Tour Number 2, her right eyebrow twitching at every forced smile. You weren’t sure if this was from the rejections or simply from San’s puns.

“OF COURSE THERE’S NO SUCH HOME! THIS JUST…. DOESN’T HAVE ENOUGH SPACE.”

“Not enough space?”

The Realtor, side-stepping Sans, approached, eyes gleaming. Twirling a black strand of hair back behind her ear, she straightened her posture, “Would you say… You need more rooms, perhaps?”

“YES. PERHAPS A… RECREATIONAL ROOM OF SORTS.”

The woman’s face lit up, her hands clasping together in surprise. Quickly smoothing out her clothes, she slid another hand through her hair in an attempt to straighten it. “I have the perfect place. Not too far from here, just a simple walk,” as she spoke Papyrus nodded diligently, following her as she trailed outside the rejected home. As she continued you watched Sans posture slump down, the grin dragging down from his face. The two of you followed behind, keeping distance from the two as she praised the other home.

“Forewarning, this is slightly out of budget.” Sans smile snapped back up giving her a shrug paired with a nonchalant wave as if to say, ‘not a problem’. Catching his drift her attention moved back to the engrossed brother, eyes gleaming at the high praise she gave the other home. Once again the grin slid right off his face, the glow of his eyes burned out by the afternoon sun.

“Should we call it a day after this?” You whispered, keeping a slow pace with him. The two of you were dragging so far behind now it was almost as if you were going backwards.

“No, no,” he chuckled, waving you off.

“HURRY UP, SANS. THE LOVELY HUMAN SAYS WE’RE CLOSE.”

Sans, spotting the For Sale sign, snatched your hand. Your stomach lurched as he jumped you forward in front of the red door; it was one thing if you were expecting it. He mumbled an apology, the back of his skull beaded with sweat; for a moment you thought he might puke as well.

“CHEATER,” Papyrus yelled, quickly catching up within three strides.

Once you were certain you weren’t going to throw up on the front lawn you followed them inside. You followed Sans while the kind woman showed Papyrus the grand home. While large, it was no-where near Toriel’s size. It was a simple three-bedroom home, complete with a separate laundry room and fairly large kitchen. The pair of rooms occupied the second floor, while the master bedroom resided on the first floor on the clear opposite side of the home.

“Nice place,” you commented. “Quite _roomy_ ,” he agreed, peering down at the backyard from the window. With his eyes closing, you could easily see him nodding off any minute now.

“Listen, I’m serious, lets call it quits for today,” you continued, gently taking his shoulder. Although the woman was giving the place the highest compliments, you hadn’t heard Paps speak once. You weren’t sure if Sans could go through anymore house tours for the day.

He shrugged off your hand, giving a weary grin that you knew was fake. “Nah, I’ve been a lazybones about this.”

“You’re not going to finish this in a day, Sans. You’re absolutely exhausted. You look… disgusting!” You gestured at the greasy sweat-smelling clothes. God, his right shoe was barely hanging on!

Eyes narrowed, he scoffed, “This is just how I look.”

“No, it’s not!“

You went to laugh, but his angry scowl caught you off guard, stopping it short.  

“Yeah, it is. This is what I really am, darlin’, **so get used to it**.” His words a hostile growl, echoing in the fairly large bedroom.

Silence blanketed the room, both brows raising in shock and disbelief. Gritting your teeth, you backed away, your throat constricting. Your mouth began moving, retaliating as tears pin-pricked the corner of your eyes, “You’re right. My bad, Sans. That _is_ what you really are.”

Not bothering to stick around for the reaction, you took your leave, hastily brushing past an oblivious Papyrus who was rushing his way inside.

“I THINK I LIKE THIS ONE BRO—Brother?”

You didn’t stop, rushing down the stairs, the momentum in your legs throwing you out the door.

You had an Uber pick you up two blocks down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been absent the past week, I got pretty sick! D:  
> Update schedule should resume to every 2-3 days <3  
> And thank you for all the awesome and wonderful comments!!! You guys never fail to make me smile!


	23. Chapter 23

_Stupid._

The loud thwak of flesh against leather filled the room.

_So stupid_.

Your arms were aching, chest burning as you took another gulp of air in-between punches.

_Annoying._

Your muscles strained through another punch and with a hard grunt you switched to kicking.

_Piece of—_

“FUCK.”

With a cry you recoiled from the punching bag, your ankle twisting as you fell on cushioned padding. A spasm of pain rippling through your leg as the muscles try to fold it from under you. Undyne was on top of you within moments, straightening the leg, massaging it in an attempt to relieve the pain.

“Sorry,” You muttered shamefully, wiping the sweat from your brow. You hissed as the pain slowly dissipated, leaving a vague throbbing of what it once was.

“I think that’s the end of training,” Undyne gave a rough chuckle, taking a quick look at your ankle as well. It was fine, only temporarily sore from the odd angle your weight had shifted to.

“Sorry…” You repeated, getting up once she released your foot.

“Don’t apologize, I’m not one to tell a girl _not_ to punch her feelings out.”

You coughed out a laugh, mixing with hers, relief washing over you.

Yeah, punching your feelings out felt a lot better than you thought it would.

In your emotional storm-off you desperately texted Undyne, requesting a sparring match. She was more than willing, overjoyed even, replying immediately with her address and a long list of regiments you were going to do that you had yet to read. However, when you arrived sniffling and teary-eyed, the training was put-off for relentless punching and kickboxing. ‘Therapy’ as Undyne called it.

“You ready to talk about it?” She tossed you a towel that you immediately stuffed your face into, wiping away all the sweat. Post work-out always felt great yet horrible at the same time, your arms already aching as they moved.

“It was just…. Ugh, I don’t even know,” angrily rolling your eyes you moved on to wipe down your arms. You had worked up a disgustingly amount of sweat; you needed a shower more than anything now.

“Whatever it is, I hope you kicked its ass,” She gave you a toothy grin that you laughed at. The buzzing of your phone interrupted the cheery atmosphere. It laid open faced on a bench several feet away, along with your discarded shirt, Papyrus’s portfolio lighting up the screen.

Hesitating for a moment, you picked it up, answering, “Hey Paps.”

You meant for it to sound cheery, but even Undyne gave you a look noticing the lack of joy in your greeting.

“HELLO, YES, Um, yes,” his voice trailed down and he cleared his throat, “YES, OKAY, I GET IT.” Oddly enough it seemed to be directed at someone else, but still you hung on to your end of the phone.

“Are you busy?”

You blinked several times in response. You expected a ‘Why did you leave’ or ‘What happened’, not a stiff sounding question as to if you were doing something else.

“Not reeeally,” you stretched, curious as to where he was going with this.

“Wonderful! Um, so… Heh,” he gave his throat another loud clear, “Oh boy, this is awkward.” His awkward laugh filled the speaker.

“Paps, what’s going on?” You asked, beginning to grow impatient. He usually wasn’t one to stall or hesitate with anything, always diving in headfirst without a second thought.

“HUMAN,” you yanked the phone away, cringing as Undyne tried not to laugh at your predicament.

“YES, WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO OUT, ON SAY, PERHAPS A DATE?”

A…. Date?

Your eyes grew wide and you stared at Undyne, her mouth agape in shock mimicking your own expression. A date with Papyrus?? Were you too sweet on him? What were you going to say? Did Sans even know? Should you—No, _can_ you even turn him down? You had never had the heart to say no to any requests of his before, and now this was something serious. You couldn’t break his heart like this…

“Hello…?”

You gasped, the phone slipping from your grasp. You juggled it for a moment before finally catching it and pulling it back to your ear. You weren’t sure how long you were out, but you felt like you hadn’t taken a single breath of air.

“YES,” You shouted, frantically, afraid he might’ve already hung up.

“Oh… OH, YES THAT IS WONDERFUL.”

You let out a sigh of relief, but were anything but happy.

“I… I WILL PICK YOU UP MOMENTARILY. LET’S SAY, SEVEN SHARP?”

You sputtered out an okay, telling him you were at Undyne and Alphys’s house before hanging up.

“What did you just get yourself into,” Undyne sighed, shaking her head.

“I—I’m not sure…” You replied, still dumbstruck and staring at the now black phone.

“Listen…”

You snapped up, catching her cold stare as she shifted, crossing her arms.

“I know you’re not into him, and… You just want to not hurt his feelings, or whatever! But… Just… Let the guy down easy okay?”

Still numb, you nodded. “Of course, Undyne,” Your chest clenching at the thought. A strain of silence passed between the two of you, her gaze unwavering from yours. It was so piercing, as if she could see right into you. Any other person might have been terrified, but something about it was… strange. You had received a similar look from Sans on several occasions early on in your relationship; was it more than just a hard stare?

She relaxed, her shoulders visibly sagging as she gave you a smile, shaking you from your thoughts.

“Alright. Thanks, punk. Now lets get you cleaned up for your big date,” she teased, her grin showing off her gleaming fangs.

 

* * *

 

Nervous, you picked at the table cloth for the seventh time this evening. You tried to give Papyrus an encouraging smile, but every time you did he gave an unsettling on in return, as if he were trying his hardest not to grimace. Small talk was stale, you asked how he felt about the last house, but all he could say was that he had mixed emotions. He didn’t mention Sans, and neither did you.

You held back a groan, fixing your dress straps. Alphys let you borrow one of her dresses, Undyne’s were too tight for your liking and Alphys’s kept slipping. It was a simple black dress that ending right at your knees, with a cute white-buckled belt wrapping around your waist to tie it all together. Papyrus took to wearing a dapper-looking black suit and tie. You had to admit he was quite handsome in it, and it left you wondering how well Sans would look in one as well.

You frowned at the train of your thoughts, forcing your eyes to look back up at Papyrus. Tonight was about him, about this.

Catching your eye, he gave a nervous cough before downing his third glass of water. You bit your lip, scanning your mind for any small topic that would lead to an actual conversation.

“Have you been here before?” Finally, he was the one to start. You were grateful, cause so far you were coming up blank.

“Nope, never,” you smiled, taking in the place around you, the satin napkins, the dimly lit candles placed on every table in place of lighting. It was certainly a romantic setting for a date night.

“Everything here is so… expensive looking.” Although you had never stepped foot in this place beforehand, you had heard of MTT Glamour before. Mostly how outrageous the prices were; hell, even a glass of water was $3.50.

“Too extravagant?”

“No, no! It’s perfect, Papyrus,” you gave him a reassuring wave but it only seemed to unsettle him further, his skull starting to sweat as he glanced around.

You let it play out for a moment before finally asking.

“Are… You okay, Papyrus?”

“Why yes! Perfectly content!” He laughed, loudly, his ‘NYE’S’ interrupting a nearby couple who glared daggers at you in return.

You leaned in, whispering, “It’s okay if you’re nervous. We can go elsewhere.”

His eyes grew wide at the thought and he quickly whispered-yelled back, “Of course not! He said dates had to be somewhere special!”

“ _He?_ ”

“Y—Yes. My, um… My Dear Friend, and I suppose, dating-coach.”

Once again Papyrus had you dumbstruck, his cheeks blushing as he nervously glanced around, as if the person he spoke of was going to appear at any moment.

You pressed further, curious at his reaction. “Your ‘Dear Friend’? How come you’ve never mentioned them before?”

The orange hue brightened, the center of its glow a gentle red, his fingers tapping together as he struggled to meet your eyes. A sly grin spread across your face; something told you Papyrus was way more into this special friend of his than he was into you.

“Now, Papyrus, honey,” you teased, “you should tell me about this person. I’d love to know all about them.”

He sputtered, stumbling over mumbled words leaving you amused. Before he could form a coherent sentence the waiter arrived, food in hand. Papyrus had ordered you both a plate of classic spaghetti, an unlisted item on the menu, but the staff didn’t complain. He dove into his plate, filling his mouth in order to have an excuse not to answer, but that was okay. You had more than enough information.

You ate slowly, sipping on your overly fancy glass of water. It was delicious, but you felt you could easily make the same dish at home for significantly less of a price. Before you even made it halfway through your meal Papyrus was done and the waiter slipped in, sliding a piece of paper face down towards Papyrus. Once he was gone, he picked it up, bringing it up close to his skull.

Disbelief crossed his face as he pulled the paper away, his right hand digging into his coat pocket. To your surprise he pulled out a small pair of glasses. He slid them on with ease, a faint orange glow holding them in place as he reread what seemed to be a letter.

You cursed, realizing your spaghetti slipped from your fork, splattering onto your dress. You were so distracted staring at Papyrus you weren’t even paying attention as to what you were doing. He groaned, tossing the paper onto the table, allowing you to snatch it up. Ignoring his loud protests, you quickly scanned the letter.

 

My Dearest Papy,                                                                                                                                            

Congratulations, Darling! I hope your date goes well.                                                                      

Please, accept this dinner on the house for being my Number One Fan.                  

                                                                                                                                                                             

 I’ll always cherish our time together,                                                                                                  

         Love, Mettaton                                                                                                                                    

 

Your face flushed as he pried it from your grip, stuffing it into his pants pocket. Your face was red, but it was nothing compared to his; Papyrus was easily lighting up the entire restaurant. You tried not to laugh, but a nervous chuckle made it past your lips.  

“Papyrus… Why did you ask me out?”

After a few moments the glow settled, the lanky skeleton letting out a weary sigh of your name.

“Do you like me?”

Your hands began to shake at the sudden drop of volume, the somber demeanor he suddenly cloaked himself in.

Was this the moment you were to possibly break his heart?

You gave a dry swallow before replying, “Of course, Papyrus.”

“Do you… Wish to date me?”

Biting the inside of your cheek, you gave him a sympathetic look, gently shaking your head no. For a moment you thought you wounded him, his hand pressing hard against his chest above where his heart would be, his head lowering as he soaked in your answer. For a moment you didn’t dare to breathe, that is, until he finally smiled, the both of you letting out a sigh of relief.

His wide grin was one that could rival Sans, his eyes lit with joy for the first time tonight. “HUMAN, THIS IS WONDERFUL,” he shouted, earning the two of you more glares.

“THIS WAS CLEARLY A MISUNDERSTANDING,” he continued boisterously, laughing into the air. You could see the staff talking amongst themselves in the corner of the restaurant, eyes pointed at your direction. Knowing Mettaton or not, you were pretty sure you were about to get kicked out.

Oblivious to the oncoming situation, he continued laughing, wiping a tear from his star-sparkled eyes.

"OH BOY," he slammed his hand onto the table, sending your water tumbling over.

“SANS WILL BE SO RELIEVED TO HEAR ABOUT THIS.”

 

* * *

 

It took everything you had not to scream at his door. You acted sweet and innocent towards Papy for the remainder of the night, promising another strictly platonic date. He didn’t even return home with you, instead opting out to call Mettaton to explain what had happened. When you arrived the house was empty, a previously unseen text from Toriel explaining that she took Frisk and Flowey out for a Family Movie Night. If Sans wanted you to believe you were alone, he was succeeding. You had knocked several times with no response.

_Misunderstanding_

You scoffed, your leg throbbing with the desire to kick the wall. What was there to misunderstand? The two of you have been in the most compromising situations together! The things he’s done, the things you _let_ him do…

“Sans,” you seethed, growling out his name at the locked door, “I believe we need to talk.”

No answer.

“You have one chance to open this door, Sans. One.”

You balled your hands into fists, your thumb nail digging painfully into your forefinger out of frustration. “If—If you don’t, then that’s it.” You waited paused, listening to the pounding of your own heart before continuing, “Then I’ll leave. I’ll be over it.”

Silence was your response, your heart dropping as you began to back away.

You click of the lock caught your attention, your body twisting around in surprise. The door didn’t open, no other sound was made, but you knew what you heard. Slowly you turned the knob, creaking the door open. You could make out a figure, huddled in the corner of the bed, leaning against the wall. You stepped forward into the darkness, the door slamming shut behind you causing you to jump.

“What the hell is going on here, Sans?” You whispered, waiting for your eyes to adjust before stepping another foot into the void. He continued giving you the silent treatment, but instead of it egging you on, you began to show concern.

You called for him again but he made no movement. Growing scared, you took a leap of faith, moving forward without sight. You stumbled, your foot catching against cloth, but pushed forward, crawling onto the bed.

He was scrunched up in a ball, wearing only a pair of black long-shorts, his head burrowed into his bare arms. Now that you were close enough, you could see his bones visibly shake, his fingers barely holding onto the back of his sweat drenched skull.

All pretense of anger was dropped as you held back by his side, uncertain as to what was going on. Ditching your nervousness, you scooched closer.

“Hey, Bone-boy,” you cooed softly. Slowly and as gentle as possible, you wrapped an arm around him. He flinched at your touch but as you pulled back he choked out your name. It was all you needed as reassurance to pull him close, running your fingers across his skull in an attempt to sooth him.

 “This is only temporary,” his bones rattled as he spoke, his hands taking the fabric of your dress, clenching it so tightly it might tear. “All of this,” he stopped himself short, “It’ll just start over, all over. Then I’ll be back, I’ll be _there_.”

You had no idea what he meant, but held him all the same, afraid that if you let go he would crumble. You shushed his cries, his mutterings of nightmares, whispering sweet nothings and promises that “it’s okay. It’s over. I’m here.”

His trembling subsided as you continued to hold him against you, his skull softly pressing into your chest, listing to the thumping of your heart. It seemed to sooth him, his ragged breathing becoming calm. It was a sign that you were here, you were alive and with him. Rubbing soft circles into his shoulder blades, you closed your eyes with him. “Sleep,” you told him, “I’ll be right here. I won’t go anywhere. I promise." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo another update! Thank you to everyone reading this and omygosh to everyone who commented!!!  
> I seriously love all of you <3
> 
> Next update date is unknown as of right now due to work, but, you can follow me here http://fishing4sin.tumblr.com/
> 
> I'll be able to post updates, give exact dates on the next chapter, and answer questions such as "WHEN DO THEY FRICK" and many more!   
> Love you guys, thank you for reading my trash <3


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT TOOK ME FOREVER BUT HERE'S THE THING  
> **NSFW**
> 
> **NSFW**

You weren’t sure how long you slept, if it was five minutes or five hours, but his whispers jolted you awake as if he were screaming. Unsure and confused, you held him tighter, nuzzling your face against his. Your back ached from the awkward position but you held through it, his sigh of content making the pain worth it.

“You’re making this difficult.”

His frustrated groan had you giggling. You had no idea what was going on, but as long as he was okay you were happy. With eyes still closed, you smiled as his hand cupped your cheek, the pressure of his forehead against yours causing your chest to swell warm with affection.

“Did you sleep well?” You asked, genuinely concerned.

He gave a hum, pulling away to respond. “Better than most nights. What about you?”

You gave a tiny shrug that made your shoulders sting. Suddenly feeling weighted you were dragged down to his height, your head pressing sorely against the pillow from the rough movement. Your wince told him enough, his fingers pushing past the locks of your hair to gently massage your neck and shoulders. You bit your lip through a moan as he worked out the kinks of your muscles, hugging you closer to get to your aching back.

With every sigh and murmur of pleasure he let out a shaky breath of his own, his face pressing into the crook of your neck, inhaling your scent. For a moment you feared he would pull away, his hands freezing up after a particularly loud groan.

“More,” you breathily encouraged. He eagerly obliged, whispering your name through a shudder of his own. Slowly, his hands traveled lower, the once innocent massage quickly turning into something heated and rushed.

With your brain becoming hazy with lust, your hands began to roam, nails dragging over his ribcage before eagerly pulling him closer to your chest. His teeth nipped at your earlobe, the soft moan of his name the reward. Once again he pulled away, uncertainty riddled upon his face as he seemed to struggle with himself on how far to go. You didn’t push him, but instead waited it out, your heart pounding as if you ran a marathon with Undyne.

After a moment you gave him a small smile before placing a kiss upon his cheek. “It’s okay,” you chuckled, ready to call it a night with that. His chest rose and fell with a deep breath, a soft blue glow peeking out for only a second before fading as it scattered down his bones. You scooted back to give space, but his hands were firm at your hips, trying to keep you in place as delicately as possible.

“M—More,” he choked out, his face flushing in that royal blue you loved so well. Now it was your turn to return the favor; your hands resumed their place, hooking in-between bone, teasingly rubbing lower and lower with each shudder.

“N—No.”

You froze, afraid you went too far, and he quickly stuttered to remedy the situation.

“I—I mean yes! But, no,” he gave an awkward laugh that quickly delved into a moan as you tested the toughness of his lowest rib bone. “Oh Stars, just kiss me.”

With of laugh of your own, you placed another kiss on his skull, trailing them down his jawbone before leaving one last peck on his teeth. You would never tell him, but kissing a lipless skeleton wasn’t exactly stimulating, but as long as he was into it, it was all you needed.

“Oh?”

You blinked at the noise, his grin turning smug as his eyes focused on your very being. Bringing one hand up, he traced his thumb along your bottom lip before pressing into it. You allowed your mouth to open out of curiosity, giving his boney thumb a swipe of your tongue. In a swift motion he claimed your mouth with his own, his blue tongue you had seen several nights ago making its second appearance.

Trembling, you gripped onto his ribcage tighter, feeling out the foreign make-shift tongue in your own mouth. It was slick, with only a hint of a buzz, and had no taste at all, yet it set your body aflame with newfound pleasure. In-between moans you had to pull away, forcing yourself to take a shaky breath. He didn’t seem to mind, instead groping at your chest with a growl, pulling harshly at the fabric. Taking one of his hands, you led him lower for you to grind against, to show him what exactly he was doing to you.

“Holy fuck,” he groaned, his bones rattling with need.

With a grin, you yanked his chin back up at your mouth for another round that left you just as breathless as the first time.

“Get me out of this thing,” you panted.

Clumsily, his hands fumbled at the belt around your waist, too desperate to remove it to think clearly. Giggling, you gently pushed him back, rolling on top to straddle his hips.

Looking down at him from such a dominate position, you savored the moment. The way his chest heaved, staring up at your figure, the soft glow of his bones, strained and rigid with desire. His mouth was parted, the cerulean tongue peeking from behind his teeth with impatience. Slowly, his hands slipped underneath the fabric of the dress, rubbing sparks of his magic into your inner thigh, your legs trembled in response. Slowly you rotated your hips against his, watching his expression as a moan of his own slipped out.

Everything about him was setting your body aflame, moving at its own accord in an attempt to cool the growing warmth between your legs.

“Fuck,” he growled, his hands grasping at the dress. In the heat of the moment you had completely forgotten your mission in taking it off. In a quick motion you unclasped the belt, tossing it wildly to the other end of the room. You bundled up the ends of the dress, his eyes completely unwavering as you began to hike it up further.

The higher you yanked it up, the more self-conscious you started to feel, your insecurities taking over your mind, stopping your now shaking hands at your waist. You shut your eyes for a moment, trying to steady your heart rate. What if he didn’t like humans? What if you were just too weird and abnormal for him? Did he even know what boobs were? Scratch that; did he even have a _dick_?

You should have discussed this before-hand, instead the two of you had chosen to act without thinking.

Just as your resolve began to crack you opened your eyes, locking them with his. Time slowed to a stand-still, your trembling subsiding as you stopped mid-breath. The usual orbs of his eyes had reformed, replaced with smoldering hearts that drank in your half-naked figure.

“That’s… A really cute trick,” you murmured once you found your voice. He cocked his head to the side, the hearts morphing back to their original shape as he asked, “What trick?”

Your chest gave a tight squeeze and you fought back a laugh; did he really have no idea? The thought had you giddy as warmth trickled all the way down to your toes. Brimming with newfound confidence you pulled the dress all the way up, not caring where it landed. With a giggle you pulled his hands up from your thighs, allowing him to explore your curves.

You let out a hum of encouragement as he began to feel out the softness of your bare flesh, giving it an experimental squeeze at your hips. With the bones of his fingers running down your sides, he continued to watch, dumbstruck as you unclasped your bra, letting in join the rest of the cloth onto the floor.

With a shuddered breath he managed to utter out one word, “Wow.”

“Wow?” You teased, a bubbly laugh making its way out.

“Darlin’… Baby,” he let out a shaken laugh, his eyes performing your new favorite trick, “You’re brighter than the sun.”

Confused you let out another laugh; if it wasn’t for the soft glow of the magic stringing his bones together you weren’t sure if you’d be able to see at all. You opened your mouth to ask what in the world he meant, and instead a curse fell out, the moment being interrupted with a hard knock at the door.

“Sans?” Toriel called from the other side, giving the door a few more taps.

The heat down below suddenly rushed to your face with shame at the possibility of being caught.

“Just… wanted to let you know that we’re home,” she continued, clearing her throat through her wavering voice.

Oh dear lord, she knew.

As embarrassed as you were you had no time to prepare yourself for what happened next. You let out a gasp as your body jolted, your head bouncing against a pillow as the positions switched. Your mind swirled and it took you a minute to realize not only had he teleported on top of you, you were at a completely different location.

“We’re alone.”

You didn’t question it.

Instead, thanks to the sudden new position, you wrapped your legs around him, earning you an eager thrust against something very present, and very hard. His hand traveled below, only to tease the hem of your panties.

“Please,” you begged, panting and clawing at his back. He let out a growl, nipping at your shoulder blade before obliging. You whimpered as he teasingly traced your outer lips, letting out a husky groan.

“You’re so fucking soaked,” he shuddered, pressing harder against your sex causing you to cry out. Growing impatient he roughly yanked down the ruined underwear, leaving you feeling more exposed than ever.

“You too,” You gasped out as his tongue circled around an erect nipple. He let out an empty chuckle, shaking his head.

“You wouldn’t like—“

Pressing a hard finger against his mouth, you hushed him, giving you a moment to gather your lucid thoughts. Although his mouth stopped, his fingers continued, curiously pushing between your folds, coating his fingers with your wetness.

“Sans!” You cried out, desperately fighting the urge to buck against his hand. His name fell from your lips once more before you finally could make your point.

“I—I need you, Sans,” You panted out, pulling at the waistband of his shorts. A guttural moan reverberated his chest, one hand rubbing at your pussy while the other worked on freeing his cock. Gently, he pumped another finger into you, slowly stroking his vibrant blue cock to your pleading moans. You never wanted to forget this moment, the pure desire laced in his steely blue eye as the sloppy sounds of sex filled the room. At one point you had tried to covered your mouth, desperate to block the embarrassing cries, and with an angry growl he thrusted his two fingers in deeper, working hard to watch you unravel before him.

 Biting back another cry for more, you pulled hard on his collar bone, catching his mouth in a fierce battle for dominance. With your arousal spiking and his fingers tirelessly fucking you, you could feel the heat inside you coiling tighter and tighter, looking for any release.

“Sa—ans,” sentences were becoming difficult to string together as you panted between words. It took several variations of his name being moaned before you pleaded for him to stop.

“N—No more.”

His fingers pulling away left you trembling, the darkness hiding his confusion.

“I need you, Sans,” hands shaking as they took hold of his cock. Just like his tongue it was slick, even more so with precum, and although very blue, it still held the shape of the male sex. Although it was no larger than any you had seen in your previous (but brief) encounters with sex, its girth was what intimidated yet excited you the most.

He gasped out as you began to stroke his cock lovingly, appreciating every sigh and whisper of your name. “What do you need me to do, babygirl?”

“Fuck,” you groaned, feeling yourself grow even wetter at his voice. Determined to fight your way past the overwhelming pleasure, you gave several quick pumps, trying to give him the same building pressure that he had built up in you. Locking your eyes with his, you slowly and deliberately licked the precum from your fingers; it held no taste yet left your mouth tingling warmly from his magic. But it wasn’t about the taste. It was about the thrill, the tingle of shock that ran through your veins and stole your breath away, all from his steely hard look of pure primal need to have you, to claim you as his own.

“I need you to fuck me.”

His ribcage shook, drinking in your words as boney fingers dug into your skin as he cursed. It took only seconds for him to tug his shorts completely off and return, pushing you back down onto the bed and pulling your legs apart with force. His teeth met against the flesh of your inner thigh causing you to cry out, the pain and pleasure of it all mixing together making an addictive combo.

“Not yet,” he commanded. 

He nibbled lighter to higher up he went, sucking and licking along your skin, murmuring sweet nothings along the way that sent your face aflame.

“So soft,” he shuddered, hands gripping your hips tightly.

“So beautiful,” he continued, his tongue reaching closer. You squirmed, your hand shooting downward to cover the sweetest spot of all. You let out a surprised yelp; he decided to give your hand a taste as well.

Letting out a deep chuckle he looked up at you, almost pleading, “Can I…?”

You closed your eyes, taking deep breaths trying to steady your pounding heart; this was new territory for you. You were never really brave about what was between your legs, always worried about how it looked. But this was Sans. You had a feeling he was probably more terrified of what you thought of him as a whole, rather than what you looked like down there.

Nervously you nodded, inching your hand away. He wasted no time, his tongue sliding down your lips. You choked out a moan, immediately reacting and bucking into him. With a groan he pulled your hips in closer, lapping up your juices as your nails appreciatively scratched against his skull.

He let out a wild growl before biting roughly into your thigh; you let out a yell of pain that twisted into pleasure, his buzzing magic masking the mark you were certain he left. “Taste so fucking good,” he groaned, returning his mouth back on your clit.

The closer he got you there, the tighter your legs clamped around him. You were desperate to keep them apart, but Sans seemed to love it, pushing you closer and closer to that edge only to stop. You were begging for release, muttering his name repeatedly between curses when he froze up again, your hips defiantly bucking against his tongue.

“Fucking hell,” he hissed out, pulling away completely.

“I can’t—“

He panted, yanking you down by the hips.

“Sweetheart, I need to—“

He struggled, the back of his skull beginning to sweat now. Slowly, he rubbed his cock against you, shuddering as he teased your entrance.

“Please,” you trembled, biting at your bottom lip, “Be gentle.”

He gave a tight nod, shaking, he eased himself in at a slow pace, stretching and filling you farther than you had ever been before. Once reaching the base, he stopped, his breathing labored as he waited patiently for comfort and pleasure to wash over after the pain. After a moment you gave an experimental grind, letting out a soft moan. Taking the hint, he gave a long, yet careful, thrust of his own.

“So fucking warm.”

The gentleness was wearing as he increased in speed, your noises urging him on further.

He gasped out, his growl growing louder when he gave a particularly hard thrust, your walls clenching around him as you screamed in ecstasy.

“So fucking tight.”

You closed your eyes, losing yourself in the pleasure of it all, no longer holding back the volume of your voice. He rammed in as deep as he could go, the tip of his cock slamming into a pressured spot that had you seeing stars.

“Right there!” You cried, your hands grasping at any bone you could get ahold of, fingering the spaces and tightening your hold. You felt your walls coil tighter as he repeatedly reached the fabled spot, grunting with each hard thrust, moaning your name.

“Please,” You nearly sobbed, “I’m so close.”

His blue eye focused squarely on your gaze, his other closed as sweat slid down the side of his skull, watching your lewd expression as you reached your peak. Your legs trembled, beads of sweat slipping down them, your toes curling with every thrust. You were so close, so shakenly, screamingly close, going higher and higher till—

“Come for me, baby.”

With a scream you came crashing down, praising him with his name as your walls pulsed around his cock, desperate for his own release. Within seconds he joined you, sputtering out your name repeatedly as he emptied himself inside.

The buzz of his excess magic nearly had you choking, the feeling so intense you were forced into another orgasm, one so strong it brought tears to your eyes. He kissed along your neck, enjoying the aftershocks of what you were certain was the best sex of your entire life. Once your shaking subsided he pulled himself out and collapsed on the open bed space next to you.

“That was…” His sentence died, too tired to continue on. He wrapped an arm around you, snuggling into you with a sigh of content. But still, he kept an eye cracked open, watching you as if worried that you didn’t share the same sentiment. As if he hadn’t just fucked you into complete bliss.

“Amazing,” you finished, kissing his cheek.

He gave a stupid grin, so bright that even his chest glowed for a moment. You felt light, giggling at his cuteness as you cuddled closer. With the both of you completely spent you were asleep within minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanna thank BitterSweetDeath for helping me out and encouraging me with this chapter, cause I've been very self-conscious with this full smut chap which is why it has taken so long. 
> 
> I LOVE ALL OF YOU, THANK YOU FOR THE KUDOS, YOUR COMMENTS ARE MY LIFE, AND ALL OF YOU ARE AMAZING.  
> Follow me on my pure sinblog(NSFW): fishing4sin.tumblr.com  
> And if you haven't read BitterSweetDeath's fic, WHY? Fix that, please;  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/6052072/chapters/13874842


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